Another Chance
by DaiCrazy
Summary: A mysterious force started to attack the Digital World. As a last resort tactic, Gennai opened up a passage way to a new dimension and new ways of fighting back. Chosen from the world must come together to defend their world and the Digital World.
1. Prologue: Nervous Feelings

Prologue: _Nervous Feelings,_ Daisuke's Thoughts.

* * *

><p>Location: Motomiya Household. December 2nd, 2005. 4:29.<p>

_Tick-tock...tick-tock...tick-tock..._

I slowly turn over to glance at my alarm.

5:30.

It seems like I'm not falling asleep tonight.

How could they do this to me? I finally have a steady life. Everything is back to normal. No more bad guys or trouble...well, other than the occasional mean teacher or me breaking a window.

America is so far away. Knowing me, I probably won't get along with anyone there. I'll be the odd kid out, just like I was before this whole digidestined thing. And to even think about telling the others makes my stomach turn over. What do I say? "Hey guys, I'm leaving today, sorry I didn't tell you a week ago when I found out."

Yeah. That would go over well.

Will they even miss me? Sometimes all they do is poke fun at my mistakes. Yeah, sometimes I deserve it, but I don't think I'm that bad of a person, am I? I don't even have Ken to back me up anymore, now that he's dating Miyako. They're happy together, and I'm glad, but he kind of just pushed me away...and then the thing with Takeru and Hikari...

I'm nervous.

Nervous to leave my friends behind.

Nervous to have to get used to a brand new place.

Nervous to be alone again.

I wish I had a choice. I wish my dad hadn't accepted the job.

But now it's too late. We need the money, and they apparently have great cancer centers in America...

If this can save mom, it's worth it...

But if it can't-

Beep...beep...beep...beep..

7:00.

Here we go.


	2. Chapter One: A Strange Threat

Alright, well. Here's the real beginnings of this monster. Not gonna lie, this idea's been circulating in my head since I was about thirteen, and seeing as I'm seventeen, I'd say that's been a while. I'm in the process of typing it out. It's a big task, seeing as my brain does things way faster than I can type them. The first few chapters here will be relatively the same length. Chapter Five, which I am currently finishing, will probably be the longest, but who knows how much my fingers will type in chapters after that. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and critical reviews are extremely helpful.

* * *

><p>Chapter One: <em>A Strange Threat<em>

* * *

><p>Location: Yagami Household. December 2nd, 2005. 17:19.<p>

Yamato impatiently circled Taichi's living room while the rest of the digidestined sat around. With a quick view of the time, he sighed dramatically and turned to Taichi.

"Where is he? The meeting started over an hour ago!"

"I have no idea. We tried to call his cell and his house, but we keep getting messages saying they're disconnected," Taichi responded with a frown.

"Well, he's run out of time. We have to start without him if we're going to get anything done," Yamato concluded with a nod towards Koushiro, signalizing him to begin his presentation. Koushiro stood up and walked to the front of the group, all eyes following him.

"Well guys," he started, "Gennai informed me recently that there have been some rather odd occurrences in the Digital World." With a click of a button, the slide show on his small laptop switched the image of the screen.

"Lately, spots of dark energy have been found randomly around. In these spots, or areas I should say, there have been an alarming amount of digimon disappearing. For example, in this spot right here, which showed up merely a week ago," he pointed to an area near Spiral Mountain, "is now only home to a couple dozen digimon, where as before it had been inhabited with a couple of hundred."

He glanced around the room and noticed the deep frowns etched in everyone's faces. Sora was the first to speak up.

"I think we should journey to the digital world as soon as-"

"There's one problem with that," interrupted Koushiro.

"We have lost complete access to the digital world. All the digidestined around the world have."

* * *

><p>Location: Unknown. December 2nd, 2005. 20:57.<p>

A small digimon shook in front of an ominous shape, crying from fright.

"P-p-please," it cried, "I'll do anything, just please let me go home!"

The shape chuckled, seemingly amused at Petitmon's grief. With a snap of its fingers, the digimon disappeared. Rather than the data scattering off, however, the shape consumed it eagerly, and then moved on to another room.

This room, just as dark as the last one, had about a hundred digimon in it, each one of them silent with fear. The figure smiled once more as it looked at its prey.

It snapped its fingers once again.

* * *

><p>Location: Tallahassee, Florida. December 12h, 2005. 8:04.<p>

It was an early Thursday morning, and like every American city, Tallahassee was bustling with morning commuters.

Daisuke slowly opened his eyes, aggravated at the sun for waking him up. Looking to the left, he spotted his sister, still sleeping peacefully. His mother, however, was yet to be accounted for. It had only been a few days since they had arrived in America, yet the so-called land of opportunity had brought them nothing but misfortune.

A couple of days before the family moved to America, Daisuke's father, Motomiya Toru, decided that he would take a plane a day prior to the rest of the family in order to settle things into the new house. When Daisuke, Jun, and their mother, Kiyomi, landed safely in the Jacksonville airport and rode to the address of their home in Tallahassee, they were heartbroken and disappointed to find nothing but an old vacant house and no sign of Toru. They took shelter inside to distance themselves from the stare of the public. For days, Kiyomi wandered the streets, looking for a job. However, the fact that she spoke very little English, unlike her two children, made employers turn away. Living off nothing but left overs deserted on restaurant tables and sleeping on cold wooden floors, the Motomiyas agreed that nothing could possibly get any worse. Before Daisuke could come to wonder where his mother had gone to, she returned carrying a small plastic bag of half eaten pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Gently waking Jun, the three family members ate their humble breakfast in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Not one of them believed it would have come to this.

* * *

><p>Location: Tallahassee, Florida. December 12th, 2005. 15:02<p>

A young girl about the age of eleven excitedly ran home after the school bell rang for dismissal. Her brother, about two years her senior, calmly walked behind her, smiling at her enthusiasm and warning her to keep away from the busy road. The two soon reached their home, a modest middle-class house. After unlocking the door, both children impatiently made their way to the kitchen, hoping to find an easy snack. Their search was interrupted by the house phone ringing.

"Y'ello?" the male answered.

"I've taught you better than that, Brian. Answer the phone correctly for once," an angered woman reponded. Brian made an annoyed face.

"Sorry, Mom."

"I need you and Carol to go shopping for tonight's dinner. I left the list on the fridge. Don't buy anything other than what I specified, understand?"

"Yes. I got it," Brian retrieved the list taped to the fridge and grimaced at the thought of spinach. Next thing he knew, the phone gave off a dial tone.

"Geez, not even a bye?" he grumbled.

"What'd Mom say?" his sister, Carol, asked as she grabbed the list from Brian's hands. "Ew, spinach."

"Yeah, we're getting groceries. Grab your jacket, let's go."

* * *

><p>Location: Tallahassee, Florida. December 12th, 2005. 16:10.<p>

"Dammit! Kid! Come back here!"

Daisuke ran hurriedly away from a screaming merchant. He hated the thought of stealing, but his family needed food. He ran into an empty alley, gasping for breath. He was so concentrated on escaping from the angry man that he didn't notice the young girl staring at him from the other opening of the alley. She seemed to be a bit shorter than him, and sported short light blue jean shorts and a plain white t-shirt. Her feet were covered by simple white sneakers, and had her brown hair up in a bun. She was carrying a bag of groceries and was looking at him quizzically. He glanced up and made eye contact with her, feeling something as soon as their eyes interlocked.

_ 'Why does she seem so familiar?' _Daisuke wondered.

A voice then yelled, "Carol! Let's go or Mom's gonna get mad!" The girl distractedly yelled that she was coming, but didn't budge. Daisuke smiled, and nodded towards the girl.

"I think someone's waiting for you. You shouldn't keep them waiting."

She seemed rather shocked at the fact that he could talk, but nonetheless left Daisuke to himself. He watched her as she wandered away, thinking of the feeling he'd received from this girl he didn't know.

_ 'Carol, hmm...' _He turned around and started walking towards his 'home,' still absorbed in his thoughts.


	3. Chapter Two: Beginnings

I'm going to post the ages just so no one's confused.

Jou: 15  
>Yamato, Taichi, Sora, Mimi, Koushiro: 14<br>Ken: 12  
>Miyako: 12<br>Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari: 11  
>Iori: 9<p>

_OCs:_

Brian: 14  
>May: 13<br>Carol: 11  
>Alice: 9<p>

* * *

><p>Chapter Two: <em>Beginnings<em>

* * *

><p>Location: Tallahassee, Florida. December 13th, 2005. 11:10.<p>

The next day, Daisuke found himself wandering aimlessly through a park. His thoughts still lingered on the girl he had seen yesterday. As if by chance, he stumbled upon a soccer game. While it was the middle of December, the skies were blue and the weather relatively nice. He watched the group play his favorite game longingly. Memories began to appear of his friends back in Japan, and among those, Hikari stood out to him. No matter what he tried to do, he couldn't stop his heart from fluttering when he was around her, even after the incident. That was in the past, though, and he doubted that he'd ever see Hikari, much less anyone from Japan, ever again. He brought his attention back to the soccer game and was shocked to find the girl from the day before. Almost as if she felt his gaze on her, she turned to look at him and smiled. He was surprised to find her jogging towards him.

"Hi!" she exclaimed. "You're that kid from yesterday, right?" Daisuke nodded nervously. _'Why can't I talk? And why are my palms getting sweaty? It's not like I haven't talked to her before...'_

Seemingly oblivious to his uncomfortableness, Carol offered him to join in their soccer game. Surprised, Daisuke muttered a quick sure. Carol pulled him by the hand down towards the other kids to introduce him.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet...uh..." She turned towards Daisuke apologetically. "I'm sorry, I don't even know you're name..."

"It's Daisuke," he responded, finding his voice. "Moto- I mean, Daisuke Motomiya."

"Awesome!" Carol cheered. "Okay, Dai...Dais...Dai..." she started to stutter.

"Daisuke," he repeated.

"Dai...uh...can I call you Dai?" Carol asked shamefully. After a nod from Daisuke, she regained her cheerful attitude and began to introduce her friends.

"This is my brother, Brian," she began, pointing to him. Brian was about fourteen, but was mature for his age. He had a calm composure, the opposite of his eccentric sibling. He had short blond hair that was slightly spiked with gel, piercing blue eyes that matched his sister's, and wore brown cargo shorts with a plain gray top. His feet were covered by plain black and white converse, and he wore a shark's tooth around his neck. He shook Daisuke's hand, and Carol continued with the introductions.

Next was Brian's classmate, May Paston. She was a few inches shorter than Brian and looked like a classic American girl. She sported a white blouse and light blue jeans. Her hair was a bleach blonde color, and her eyes were a light shade of milk chocolate. She also wore plain white tennis shoes and a charm bracelet on her right wrist. She gave off a friendly aura and had a smile that could light up a room.

Lastly was the youngest of the group, Alice Raybeck. She looked to be about nine and reminded Daisuke of Koushiro and Iori combined. She wore round glasses that made her seem intelligent, which she was. Her hair was long, black, and straight, and she had straight across bangs that almost hid her emerald green eyes. She wore a soft yellow spaghetti strap and plain jeans. She wore white sandals, which, to Daisuke, made her seem unprepared for a game of soccer.

As the group began another game, Alice bluntly pointed out the fact that they now had an uneven number and almost immediately volunteered herself to sit out. She walked away in a hurry to her lap top sitting on top of a nearby park bench. Sometimes sports aren't for everyone, Daisuke presumed.

As he looked around at his soon to be friends, he genuinely smiled for the first time in what seemed like months.

_'Maybe I can turn this life around...'_

* * *

><p>Location: Izumi Household. Odaiba, Japan. December 20th, 2005.<p>

"How could he just leave us like this?" Yamato exclaimed angrily. "Did we mean nothing to him? I would have thought that he would have had the decency to at least mention the fact that he was moving halfway across the world!"

"Calm down, Yamato," Takeru interrupted. "Yelling and screaming isn't going to change anything. We'll just have to accept the fact that he's gone." He increased his grip around Hikari's waist, trying to comfort her. She seemed shaken by the fact that Daisuke had left abruptly.

"Takeru's right," Sora added, somewhat sadly. "We can't let him leaving affect us too much. We have a crisis to deal with in the Digital World. That's our first priority."

Yamato cursed under his breath. Even though Sora and him were happy as friends after they broke up a month ago, he still felt undermined when she corrected him.

"Well, if we're in such a state of emergency, then were the hell is Koushiro?"

"Right here."

The room silenced as a tired looking Koushiro entered his digidestined-filled room. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and his eyes were bloodshot from stress. Shocked at the state of their friend, the digidestined erased their thoughts of Daisuke and focused towards whatever had made him so upset. After a few minutes of tension, Miyako finally broke the quiet.

"So...what's the deal, Koushiro...?" she asked timidly.

"They're gone," he whispered, shaking.

"Who's gone...?"

"The digimon."

* * *

><p>Location: Gennai's house. Digital World. December 25th, 2005. 22:54.<p>

Gennai sighed deeply. He couldn't believe that the enemy had taken this so far. With no way to bring help into the Digital World, he had to choice but to revert to Dimension 033. This world had been created a long time ago by him and his accomplices prior to Piedmon's attack on their base. They had realized that in a time of great peril, the Digital World might not be reachable. Gennai then suggested the idea that they create a parallel dimension. Unlike the Digital World, this place didn't rely on data to survive. Instead, it had its own special energy called Genesis. It combined the power from the elements, the world, and one's abilities in order to create attacks that mirrored those of digimon. Gennai was currently in the process of creating a portal to this world in order to access chosen children from earth. As soon as he succeeded, however, the portal would also be open to the enemy. Although still an unknown power, Gennai had collected enough information to know that this enemy was strong enough to create beings here out of Genesis. The digidestined would be needed to defeat the enemy from this world in order to save the digital one.

It would require grueling training, though, and Gennai was worried as to whether the chosen would be able to endure the war looming ahead. If they should fail, not only would the Digital World and this dimension disappear from existence, but so would their world.

He wondered if they would be willing to take the risk.

* * *

><p>Location: Raybeck Household. Tallahassee, Florida. December 29th, 2005. 14:05.<p>

Carol gulped heavily. This was an incredibly risky thing they were trying to do, and as much faith as she had in Alice's hacking abilities, the punishment from making a mistake would be grave. Yet as she thought of everything that could go wrong, she also thought of everything that could go right. She hadn't known Daisuke for very long; she still couldn't pronounce his name. At the same time, she felt the need to help him in any way possible.

"Got it," Alice stated.

May, Carol, Brian, and Daisuke all sighed in relief. From now on, Daisuke was enrolled at their school. As Carol thought of next semester, she heard a faint beeping sound coming from her pocket. As she looked around, she noticed her brother, May, and Alice all eying each other with a look of worry.

'_Oh, no, not here, not around him...,_' she thought worriedly.

Just then, Alice's computer lit up her room. Before they knew it, the young Gennai was standing in holographic form in front of everyone. Before Carol could have a moment to explain to Daisuke, however, Gennai turned to him and spoke.

"Oh, Daisuke? Is that you? What are you doing here? I'm not in Japan, am I? Those darn unreliable coordinates..." he mumbled, oblivious to the surprise he had ensued among the group.

"Wait...," Carol began. "Dai...how do you know Gennai...?"

As if snapped out of a trance, Gennai exclaimed, "oh!" and served as a mediator.

"Daisuke is, or was, part of the digidestined group centered in Japan. He was one of the chosen that defeated BelielVamdemon," he explained. "And Daisuke, these are some of the American digidestined. You met a few in New York, correct?"

"Yeah, with Michael," Daisuke responded. Carol looked on at this scene in disbelief. After all, it's not everyday you meet another digidestined. Figuring that all explanations could be dealt with later, she asked Gennai exactly what he was doing here. He spoke solemnly with a frown on his face.

"Well, it's quite a long story, and I have a request of you..."


	4. Chapter Three: A Request

Chapter Three: _A Request_

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><p>Location: Raybeck Household. Tallahassee, Florida. December 29th, 2005. 16:31.<p>

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second," Brian said, starting to put pieces of the conversation together. "So you're saying that in about two years, we have to leave everything here with no word to anyone, travel through a portal to a completely different dimension, train to become some sort of battle team, and fight for the right of this world and the digital world to exist?"

"In simplified terms, yes, I supposed that is what I'm asking of you. Although when you phrase it that way you make me sound like I'm the bad guy..." Gennai mumbled while rubbing the back of his head. "So what do you say?"

Brian turned to look at his sister, who nodded aggressively. May smiled at him in agreement to Carol. He turned to Alice, who seemed to be contemplating her decision.

"I believe the chances of winning and surviving this dangerous war are quite low," she began, much to the disappointment of the rest of her team. She then gave a warm smile. "However, the chance to save our friends and the rest of both worlds means much more to me than any statistic, so I'll have to say yes."

"Good! Good! Daisuke? I'm sure you'd be willing to join them?" Gennai asked him. It took a simple thought of Veemon to secure his answer.

"Of course. Are, uh, the others...?" He began.

"Unfortunately, not immediately. I've told them of the plans. I need them to protect the real world in case the enemy finds a way to get through. They'll probably be transported sometime down the road, but as of right now, their place is here." Daisuke sighed, earning a weird look from not only Gennai, but Carol as well. "Well, it is time for me to wander off and work on the portal. You don't have to worry about a thing until I call for you, so don't waste your time. If I were you, I would go to the park and enjoy some ice cream. Oh how I miss that ice cream, brings back such good memories..." Gennai's musings continued until he completely disappeared from the screen.

"Uh...that was interesting?" Brian commented.

"You never said anything about being a chosen child, Daisuke," May said, turning her attention towards him.

"It never came up in conversation, I guess. Besides, it's not really something I go and tell everyone about," was the response. Brian came up next to him and put his arm around Daisuke's shoulders.

"It looks like we're going to be spending lots of time as a group. You know what that means!"

"Um, not really...?" Daisuke responded nervously as the rest of the group looked at Brian curiously.

"We're gonna go get pizza!"

* * *

><p>Location: Unknown. January 7th, 2006. 4:06.<p>

"Team assemble," a voice commanded. Almost instantaneously nine figures sped to form a line in front of their master. He smiled wickedly, admiring his creations. He began naming them one by one.

"Fear. Loneliness. Ignorance. Deceit. Hate. Infidelity. Darkness. Despair. Cruelty."

Each humanoid figure stepped forward at the announcement of their name. One they all stood before him, The Master let out a victorious laugh. Once his creations were transformed with the power of Genesis, he would be invincible. Nothing could stop him now. The golden powers would belong to him.

* * *

><p>Location: Yagami Household. Odaiba, Japan. January 10th, 2006. 18:16<p>

The chosen children gathered in Taichi and Hikari's bedroom a couple of weeks after their meeting with Gennai. Although it was a school night, they decided to get together and reflect on the information and task given to them.

"I don't understand how Gennai assumes we can protect this world without our partners..." Iori stated, confirming the rest of the group's doubts. "It's not like we can fight an evil force all by ourselves. Who knows what sort of powers they could have?"

"But we can't just sit here and pretend nothing's going on," Yamato interjected. "We are digidestined, and partners or no partners, it is our duty to protect this world and the Digital World."

"Yeah, against digimon. We're not even sure what the enemy is supposed to be!" Miyako grumbled. "How do we fight against a force that we have no idea about?"

"Well, nothing has happened yet," Sora remarked. "We shouldn't spend our time worrying about what could happen. We just need to contact Gennai somehow and get more information on how to go about this."

"And that's exactly what I came to talk to you about," a familiar voice said from Koushiro's computer, earning a "Gennai!" from the chosen. "I can only talk for a short amount of time, so listen closely. Before Azulongmon was deleted," the group gasped, "he gave me the rest of his cores so we could use them in what he says is an upcoming war. The Digital World's defenses were already very weak due to the defeat of the other sovereigns, so he decided to put his last bit of power into good use. I am here to grant you one DigiCore." As he said this, an orb of light radiated from Koushiro's computer and floated in between the digidestined. "Use its power to help protect your world. Good luck! I must go now, they're coming my way!" Just as suddenly as he had appeared, Gennai was gone, leaving a bunch of puzzled kids behind. The orb ceased to glow and fell to the carped with a soft thud. It was merely a pearl sphere that had hardly any weight to it at all. Hikari lifted it up and examined it, earning a bunch of worried comments from Jou.

A few moments later, the orb began to glow once more. Every digivice in the room glowed the same hue, and the orb split into rays of light that were absorbed into the devices. All the digivices then underwent a sort of metamorphosis. They changed shape and became more circular with grip handles. The screen overtook the whole device, making it look like some sort of high tech smart phone. Instead of showing things on the screen, however, holographic pictures popped up that made Koushiro go insane with excitement. Each device came with its own color, and not one had the same features as another. On the back was the symbol corresponding to the given crest, along with new ones for Miyako and Iori. The rest of the group noticed this as well, and Koushiro was the first to come up with answers.

"Miyako, according to the Digi Index, yours means Passion. Iori, you have Wisdom," he explained after furiously typing away at his computer. All of the chosen were deep in thought at what the new devices meant, until a voice interrupted them.

"Hey, kids, I just made some awesome smoothies," Yagami Yuuko declared as she waltz into the room with a tray. "Now who wants some?"


	5. Chapter Four: Here We Go

This is just a "set up chapter," so it's unbearably short. Enjoy! (to anyone who actually reads this, haha)

* * *

><p>Chapter Four: <em>Here We Go<em>

* * *

><p>Location: Paston Household. Tallahassee, Florida. December 20th, 2007. 19:20.<p>

"Got any tens?"

"Ha! No. Go fish."

"Ugh!"

It was a slow Thursday afternoon in Tallahassee. The five friends all were pleasantly on their winter break. In order to pass the time, they decided to hang out in May's posh mini mansion and play cards on her dining room table. Over the past two years the group had only grown closer. Daisuke found that he developed a brotherly bond with Brian; they were the only guys in the group and they had no choice but to stick together. Even so, he had to admit that he had become even closer to Carol, especially after the year's events. From the very start, she accepted him and all his (minor, he argued) faults. It took him some getting used to, but he eventually came to trust Carol more than anyone else. He would tell her his deepest feelings, only for her to do the same. In all, he was grateful for what the move brought him.

"Hello? Earth to Dai?" Carol waved her hand in front of his dazed eyes.

"Oh, uh. Sorry. I was thinking of the best way to beat you," Daisuke replied with a mischievous grin.

"Yeah, right. No one can beat me; I am the group's Go Fish champion after all!" Carol boasted smugly.

"Now, now, children, let's get along," Brian replied sarcastically upon returning from the kitchen, sodas in hand. A brief burst of laughter graced the room at the comment until cut short by Alice.

"Guys, I'm getting a weird reading on the comp-" A bright flash lit up the room and a familiar voice spoke.

"Chosen! It is time. We must leave now; I can't leave the gate open for long."

"Gennai? What do you mean, now? We have to get-"

"There is no time! Point your digivices at the screen. Hurry!" A worried glance echoed on all faces in the room. Brian then burrowed his eye brows and nodded at the group. Almost simultaneously, everyone was transferred out of the room and into the blinding light.

* * *

><p>Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 20th, 2007. 19:37.<p>

Bright flashes shone consistently throughout the wide, empty room, leaving groups of kids confused. Gennai stood at the top of what looked like a stage and counted the amount of children arriving.

_'1560...1567...thank goodness...' _He smiled proudly at the dedication and courage of chosen children world wide. The plan would be a great success if he had this many volunteers. After another fifteen minutes, the flashes ceased, and Gennai closed the gate to the real world. He looked behind him at the clones he had made of himself. _'For the time being, I will have to used them to train. I can't focus on this many kids at one time.' _ He cleared his throat and decided it was time to start his introduction.

"May I have your attention please," he shouted, though his voice could not be heard throughout the blaring noise of talking people. "Excuse me," he tried again, but to no avail. He grunted annoyingly and decided it was time to get tough. He was the young, strong Gennai after all; it was time to start acting like their commander.

"Silence!" he shouted over the noise. The commotion stopped immediately and room fell silent, most shocked at the source of the yell. With about two thousand pairs of eyes on him, he began his speech.

"Welcome, Chosen Children. As you can see, you have been called from every nook and cranny of the real world to help us in our cause. Don't worry about language; that barrier has been demolished. I have spoken to each of your groups separately; you know why you are here." He paused and looked around. "The Digital World is no more; powers from somewhere unknown deleted not only its inhabitants, but almost the entire world itself. It's because of this that I ask you to become the strongest you can be. Chosen are not simply special because of their digital partner, but also because of the abilities they posses. In this world, Dimension 033, your abilities are enhanced in ways never thought possible. Before this can happen, however, you must be trained." He turned to look at his clones, and they swiftly separated themselves equally amongst the huge area.

"I will split you into teams that I deem most appropriate, and then we will begin what I would like to call, Trial Week. This first week will be devoted to teaching basic survival tips and learning about different positions essential to running this group. With the type of enemy we have, we not only require people to fight, but we need healers, information specialists, and even trainers to help some recruits. After the end of this week, you will be put into the training track specified according to your abilities and personality, but we'll talk more about that later. Now, if you will just reach into your pocket and pull out that piece of paper, you will see a number that corresponds to one of my matching clones. Please join your group and we'll begin right away."

Gennai then left the stage, sighing heavily. Things were picking up speed, and he just hoped they would work out well. He watched some chosen wander acting confused, and some immediately reporting to their group trainer. He could predict who would do well in a certain job just by studying their behavior. It took a while for the last of the bunch to scatter to their places, but eventually it was time to start. Gennai straightened up and began the walk towards the groups.

_'Here we go...'_


	6. Chapter Five: Trial Week

This is the part where I warn you about a crap load of information being given. Also, I'm here to say that everybody's favorite digidestined team won't be reappearing for a while. Don't worry though; when they do, they'll all take on major roles. But right now, all focus is on Gennai's intricate training camp.

So enjoy, and if you happen to miss a few things while reading it, don't worry. It'll be easy to figure out as the story moves on. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter Five:<em> Trial Week<em>

* * *

><p>Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 26th, 2007. 23:56.<p>

Gennai looked at the files spread out on his desk. He groaned and massaged his temples at the size of the project before him. About two thousand kids needed to be separated into different tasks. He worried whether there would be too many qualified for one task, and yet none qualified enough for another. Taking a sip of his tea, he decided the best thing he could do was take action. Cracking his knuckles, he dived into file after file, reminiscing on the events of the past week.

* * *

><p><em>Day One: Introductions<em>

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 21th, 2007. 05:11.

Groups of exhausted kids slowly dragged their feet to their assigned desks, taking little notice to the teacher that stood before them. A couple of them complained about how they "didn't know they had to go to school here, too" while the more intellectual types brought paper and pens to collect attentive notes on the subject, even though no one was quite sure what that was.

At the front of the room, a Gennai clone obviously grew impatient watching the lack of enthusiasm. He smiled towards the Gennai clone beside him and decided it was time to whip the kids into shape. If this was going to be an army, they were going to train like one.

"Quiet!" he screamed fiercely, deafening the students in the front row. All eyes snapped to him, mostly out of surprise. Most of them knew the kind nature of Gennai, and to hear a look-a-like scream like his life depended on it was a strange event. "Sit! This class begins at exactly 0530 and I intend to start it on time!" Annoyed whispers echoed around the room as teams sat, which only earned another "quiet!" from the clone. After everyone was settled, he commenced the lesson.

"My name in Gage, but you will refer to me as sir, and nothing but sir. I will be instructing your pitifully empty minds, so you better be ready to shut up and listen." He walked over to the giant chalk board placed behind him and wrote a single word.

"War. Can anyone of you rascals tell me what 'war' is?" He glanced around the room at the timid kids. Soon, however, one child raised her hand. "You. Tell me your answer," he commanded. Alice bravely answered to her best ability.

"War is a state of armed conflict between different groups," she responded before quickly adding, "sir." He walked slowly towards her until he crouched down to her eye level.

"You think you're smart, don't you? You can run off dictionary definitions from memory, explain math equations without fault. Well, missy, you are wrong," he spat, then stood up and looked around the room. "War is much more than a simple conflict! It cannot be defined by a singular phrase! War is hate, loss, passion, greed, pain, so many more things than any one of you can imagine. When it comes down to war, you find the things that truly matter in life, and then you'll most likely lose them!" He paused to catch his breath before continuing. "We fight in a war to save what we love, but in the process we find we have to sacrifice so much. In this war, we are fighting for something much bigger than your families or your partners. We are fighting for existence! We are fighting for simple rights humans like yourselves deemed to be natural. So now is the time to back out. If you're too scared, if you're not strong enough, please leave now."

Silence pierced the room as people looked around. After about a minute, the instructor shouted a final warning. At this, a young teenager stood up to face him.

"No offense, sir, but if we weren't ready for this, we wouldn't have come. We aren't leaving; we know what's at stake, and we're willing to accept it. If you're trying to scare us off, it's not working. We'll fight until the very end, sir," he finished, staring bravely into Gage's eyes. He stared directly back for a few seconds before speaking.

"What's your name, kid?" he asked fiercely.

"Wallace, sir. Wallace Johnson."

In a top room overlooking the area, Gennai sat with a knowing smile on his face. He watched on as the rest of the introductions continued.

* * *

><p><strong>Name<strong>: Johnson, Wallace. Warrior.  
><strong>Birthday<strong>: March 5, 1994  
><strong>Strengths<strong>: Perseverance. Power.  
><strong>Attribute<strong>: Faith, golden power.  
><strong>Location<strong>: USA

* * *

><p><em>Day Two: Background<em>

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 22nd, 2007. 06:52

After the events of the day before, many of the digidestined carried an immense amount of respect for Gage. Just because they respected him, however, did not mean that they were looking forward to his classes. Fortunately for them, the first lesson was nothing but a 'sit and learn.' The kids took their seats and offered their full attention to Gage, who began explaining how Dimension 033 worked.

"Most of you did not obtain crests or Digimentals from the Digital World during your travels. That is not an excuse to ignore the information I must give about them, so listen up. As you all should probably know, crests were created by Gennai and his accomplices prior to a great upset in the Digital World caused by the Dark Masters. It allowed digimon to digivolve beyond Adult form. However, in order to free the Sovereigns of the Digital World after the defeat of the Dark Masters, the Original Eight had to relinquish these powers." Gage paused from pacing in the front of the room to glance over his audience. "None of them are with us today; their purpose is different for now. Four years after these events, the Digital World fell victim to another mishap. A fallen digidestined became what was called the Digimon Kaiser. He used his intelligence to wipe out the ability to digivolve naturally. In response, Azulongmon and the other Sovereigns helped create Digimentals. These Digimentals promoted the use of Armor Digivolving, which was a loop hole in the Kaiser's plans.

"Here is where I divulge some information not commonly known. The Digimentals were originally made to correspond to the eight original crests: Courage, Friendship, Love, Light, Hope, Reliability, and Knowledge. However, the Armor Digivolution of both Light and Hope released extra energy. This extra energy bound itself with the Digital World and created three Golden Digimentals. One of them created a single crest called Kindness before falling in the hands of a previous Digimental owner: Miracles. Another was transported in a time of need to the real world: Faith. Finally, the last has yet to be claimed. It is known that one person in this room has it, but does not know it. This is the Digimental of Tenacity.

"Enough of the history lesson. Now it's time to learn why this even matters to us here. Upon your arrival, this special dimension analyzed your past experience, your personality, and any crest or Digimental that previously belonged to you. Using this information, some sort of 'special power' was granted using this dimension's energy, Genesis. We're not quite sure what kind of powers each person has; we'll find out through training. What we do know," Gage paused and looked up at Gennai's form in the above room. Gennai nodded, and Gage continued, "is that the three Golden Digimentals transformed into the key to winning this war. If all three users fall into the hands of the enemy, we're through. Any questions so far?" The room stood still, filled with the faces of people absorbing new knowledge. "I must say one last thing. If you are one of the Golden Digimental users, stay quiet. The less people that know who you are, the better. We _cannot_ have the enemy know." Daisuke and Wallace glanced at each other before following the rest of the chosen out to lunch.

* * *

><p><strong>Name<strong>: Motomiya, Daisuke. Warrior.  
><strong>Birthday<strong>: February 3, 1994**  
>Strengths<strong>: Power. Endurance.**  
>Attribute<strong>: Miracles, golden power**  
>Location<strong>: Japan/USA

* * *

><p><em>Day Three: Information<em>

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 23nd, 2007. 11:25.

The following day, the chosen were again pushed into a crowded room for a lesson. Their instructor, however, was not Gage. After his introduction the day before, the rest of Gennai's clones greeted the chosen. The one standing at the front of the room was known as Gabe. He had a laid back personality that conflicted with Gage's. He sighed lightly with a smile on his face and leaned back against the chalkboard behind him. After the final kid was seated, he began his lesson.

"Welcome back, guys. Gabe here, explaining to you the many different occupations you'll have the opportunity to get involved in. Before I start, I must warn you. Although we decide who's best for what job, you have final say. Take consideration of the tasks required and your personality and moral beliefs. There's no backing out once you've chosen, so put some thought into it." He viewed the worried looks that were passed between friends and smiled. "C'mon. Cheer up! I can't teach you anything with your thoughts occupied on something else. So let's see here, where to begin...

"First off, there are three divisions you need to be aware of. The third corresponds to those that fight, and fight well. The ones in Division Two are capable at holding their own in battle, but either prefer teaching or are more qualified to teach. Division One, although they'll know the basics of fighting, won't see much of the battlefield; they're the ones who will be working behind the scenes by gathering information. In order to communicate more efficiently without all the confusing number stuff, we'll call Division Three the Warriors, Division Two the Trainers, and Division One will be known as the Information Gathering Squad, or IGS. Any questions so far?...good.

"Here's where it's about to get confusing, so pay attention. We'll start with Division Three, the Warriors. The Warriors group itself is split into two categories: 1A and 2A. You can consider 1A to be the elite of the elite: a super team that's balanced and capable of defeating some of the toughest baddies out there. 2A can be considered all the other warriors, and is also split into sub groups depending on experience and skill. Each group has a commander, and this commander is determined by their experience and technique, as well as battle readiness. According to the battle level you have achieved, you'll be placed under a certain high ranking commander. To start off with, all of you future warriors will be placed under one of us clones as a team. You should get really comfortable with your team; you'll be leveling up with them together. After we get enough people in 1A, we can assign some other elite fighters to be commanders. Phew, this is tough, sorry guys. Think you got it?" After being stared at with blank faces, he decided to move on. They would catch on eventually.

"Well, let's move on to Division Two's Trainers. This part's not so bad. The Council, that is, Gennai and his three advisers, will place those with polished techniques that are unable to deal with warfare in this division. Trainers will specialize in training, of course, and teaching chosen the tricks of the trade, whether it be information gathering, battle techniques, and even teaching itself. This division is crucial to a strong offensive and defensive force, so just because you're a Trainer doesn't mean you're not important. There will be some head teachers (that are, again, us clones until you guys can take over) that will specialize in something that needs teaching. Simple, right? Think of it as school," he paused at the groans emitting from the crowd. He shook his head and moved on.

"Division One will be home to head quarters' masterminds. Those especially gifted with sensory Genesis will be placed at the head of the Information Gathering Squad. This division does exactly what it says: it collects information on enemies and enemy plans and administers it to the Council. The Council then uses this to plan missions, jobs, and even create new techniques in order to battle newly adapted foes. These techniques are then sent to the New Techniques Squad in Division 2 in order to assure that new and old warriors both learn this skill. I think that about covers it. Once you're assigned to a specific division, you will learn more about them. Cool? Cool." Gabe glanced at his watch and saw that he'd been droning on for a little over three hours. "Ah, sorry guys, you're free to go on break." As the room cleared, one small Hispanic girl approached Gabe, carrying a notebook and pen. Distracted by his doodling on the chalkboard, Gabe failed to notice her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Gabe?" He jumped at his name but smiled brightly and the young girl. After she expressed that she had a question, he looked at her quizzically.

"Why didn't you ask in class, miss? Maybe others had the same thoughts?"

"It's not really about the subject. I was wondering, after we get into our Divisions, if it was possible for me know about all the different specifications? I mean, I feel like I'd be a better contribution if I knew everyone's job. I could even help others understand, if they need it. I'm good at that kind of stuff."

As she and Gabe discussed more about her request and the new information taught today, Gennai smiled and scribbled notes on his clip board.

* * *

><p><strong>Name<strong>: Martinez, Rosa. Trainer.  
><strong>Birthday<strong>: September 26, 1997**  
>Strengths<strong>: Intelligence, logical thinking.**  
>Attributes<strong>: Whit, bronze power.**  
>Location<strong>: Mexico

* * *

><p><em>Day Four: Genesis, Day One<em>

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 25nd, 2007. 06:39

The next clone that had the pleasure of instructing the children was rather peculiar. Although she was a clone of Gennai, she had some rather, to put it bluntly, vast differences that set her apart. Yes, this was a female Gennai, and her specific task was starting the chosen with the transformation of Genesis. Upon entering the room, the crowd was pleased to find no desks or seats waiting to be occupied. Instead, the were instructed to form neat rows that were spaced out. While the female clone, Ginny, viewed the sloppy and slow work done by the group, she couldn't help but feel despair at their lack of organization skills. She did notice, however, a petite blonde helping those around her much more efficiently than anyone else. She took note of it and decided to keep an eye on her during the day.

"Okay, okay, settle down," she said with a tone of annoyance. "If you people aren't able to successfully form a block, then we've got a lot of work to do. Today I'll be teaching you the basics on Genesis, and how to channel it. Does anyone remember what Genesis is?"

Ginny noticed the blonde raised her hand. She called on her, to the disappointment of the others who had the answer.

"It's a form of energy that this world has. It's what we'll use to defeat the enemy," she replied, almost as if she had rehearsed her answer.

"Correct. In order to access this energy, you must concentrate, so if you have a hard time with that, good luck." She heard a few moans in the crowd and rolled her eyes. "Accessing Genesis will feel a lot like making a Digimon digivolve. You will feel energy shoot through your body. The only difference is that instead of leaving your body and traveling through your digivice into your partner, it will stay trapped within you. That's where the concentration comes in. In order to use certain techniques, you must picture exactly what needs to happen. Let's start with something basic."

Ginny walked over to a pedestal centered in the middle of the room. On top of it was a tall weed. She raised her hand and muttered, "_Ignis_." The plant immediately caught on fire and within a few seconds, tumbled into ashes. The stunned group watched with amazement, and a few expressed their excitement and being able to do such things. Everyone was silenced once Ginny begin to speak again.

"All the techniques that will be explored and even invented are connected two the four main elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. As such, those four elements have basic techniques that you will learn today and tomorrow. Today we'll cover the easiest, fire and water.

"As you saw, fire burns anything you set your mind to. To help concentrate, a word can be chanted, much like a spell, as I know all of you magic enthusiasts are whispering about." At this, the remaining voices silenced. "This is NOT magic; it is merely a way of channeling something that exists here. It is not fiction in this dimension, it is science." She snapped her fingers, and a pedestal with a plant found its way to the front of each student, courtesy of the other clones. "To access fire, concentrate on the plant burning and say, _Ignis_. To stop the fire, imagine water and call out _Unda_. Tomorrow we'll go over _Terra_ for Earth and _Ventus_ for wind. If I catch anyone trying to burn anything other than the plant, you will have me to deal with. Now that you've been warned, begin."

As soon as she gave her permission, everyone attempted the task, yet no one completed it successfully. After about half an hour, Ginny was about to call a break until she heard cheers from the back of the room. Turning to look, she found no one other than the same girl causing the disturbance. She had successfully managed to burn the plant, and those around her seemed admiring. As usual, Gennai took a note of this.

* * *

><p><strong>Name<strong>: Fontaine, Catherine. IGS.  
><strong>Birthday<strong>: August 4, 1995**  
>Strengths<strong>: Can force information.**  
>Attributes<strong>: Interrogation, bronze power.**  
>Location<strong>: France

* * *

><p><em>Day Five: Genesis, Day Two<em>

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 26th, 2007. 07:46.

Elated at the thought of their final day of "Trial Week," many students excitedly entered the room. Ginny once again greeted them with her unnervingly stern demeanor. She instructed the same as the day before and saw but little improvement. She reviewed the previous lesson and began introducing the new material.

"As I told you before, today we'll be experimenting with the basics of Earth and Wind. Unlike Fire and Water, Earth and Wind are more challenging to control, as they don't have a definite reaction. Earth could be used for tons of things, as could wind. Don't be too discouraged if you so happen to not be able to even work with these powers today; it took some of us clones even a week to finally gain the skill. We'll practice with Wind first by carrying seeds into a pot that shall be placed in front of you." Several clones wheeled in the previous day's pedestal with a pot of dirt sitting on top. "After planting the seeds with the wind, you will use Earth to grow the plant. Use _Ventus_ for Wind and _Terra_ for Earth as your queues. Begin."

Ginny turned around once the students began their chanting and prepared herself to take a seat and relax. To her great surprise, however, cheers erupted once again. She instinctively turned her head to the blonde, but was surprised to find the commotion originating from the opposite end of the room. She turned and saw a pale brown-eyed, blonde haired girl smiling at the congratulations of her friends. In front of her stood not only a small twig of tree, but a mid-sized tree that looked about five years old. Ginny stood with her mouth open in amazement of such a thing; after all, even she could not grow a tree past a year. She turned and held eye contact with Gennai for a few seconds before turning around to sit in her chair. If she could do it once, then she might as well do it again.

* * *

><p><strong>Name<strong>: Ivakina, Lara. Trainer.**  
>Birthday<strong>: January 25, 1995**  
>Strengths<strong>: Fast learner, quick thinker.**  
>Attributes<strong>: Ability, bronze power.**  
>Location<strong>: Russia

* * *

><p>Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 27th, 2007. 02:19.<p>

Gennai smiled proudly at the stack of files on his right. With a yawn, he stood up and exited the room to get some much needed rest for the next day.


	7. Chapter Six: Preparations

Chapter Six: _Preparations_

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. December 27th, 2007. 12:01.

"That had to have been the longest week of my life," May complained as she slumped down next to Brian, who seemed to have dozed off. A yawning Alice then joined them, nodding enthusiastically. Carol sat next to her brother, attempting to follow his lead while Daisuke causally leaned against the wall, waiting for something to happen. He got his wish, for about ten seconds later, Gennai and his clones opened the two ginormous wooden doors that led to the grounds where the chosen had gathered. Startled by the change in atmosphere, Brian sat up suddenly, almost knocking over his sister who had been attempting to use him as a pillow. Annoyed, Carol stood along with May as they watched their new Council: Gennai, Gage, Gabe, and Ginny. Gennai began to speak, explaining the positions of each council member. Gennai would be the rightful head of the entire organization; Ginny would oversee Division One training; Gabe would lead Division Two; and Gage, to the horror of some Warrior-hopefuls, would be in charge of Division Three. He then began call forth groups that were assigned upon arrival. Feeling anxious and annoyed at the fact that they were group 25, one of middle groups, Daisuke's thoughts drifted towards his friends. After contemplating the idea of being separated from them, he silently began praying that they would be able to stick together. At long last, they team was called, and they made their way to the front of their room. After a laundry list of names, he came upon theirs.

"Motomiya, Daisuke. Division Three." Daisuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and joined the group behind Gage. He stared as Gennai continued to read names.

"Paston, May. Division Three." Looking rather shocked, she made her way to Daisuke and stood loyally beside him. Giving her a comforting smile, Daisuke listen once more.

"Raybeck, Alice. Division Three."

"Hoi, Long. Division Three."

"Hoi, Shing. Division Three."

"Hoi, Fai. Division Three." Daisuke curiously watched the three brothers join their group.

" Nikonov, Anna. Division Three."

Gennai kept calling names for minutes until the group dwindled down to just two. Brian stood tall, his sister leaning on him for support. The last thing they wanted to do was be separated.

"Egna, Brian. Division Three." Brian shot a worried glance at Carol until following his friends' footsteps towards his new division.

"And finally, Egna, Carol. Division Three." Daisuke smiled brightly, thanking whatever power above prevented them from being separated.

After a few agonizing hours of name calling, a hoarse-voiced Gennai thanked the chosen and told them to look to their division heads for further instruction. Gage surveyed the people surrounding him, keeping the same disgusted look on his face as always. He took the group away from the room, past their former beds, and towards a solid metal door with a code pad. Excitement grew; they had never been allowed anywhere but their sleeping quarters, the large training room, and the bathrooms. Entering a long series of numbers, Gage opened the door to reveal sunshine. For the first time in a week, the kids saw daylight. Upon exiting the building, they found the dimension to be similar to the Digital World in looks; in fact, as was later explained to them, the dimension was an exact replica of the Digital World's geography, which made navigation simple. The Division didn't stop until they reached a vast field with what looked like training equipment scattered around. Gage turned to the group.

"Welcome to your training grounds, maggots. Ever wanted to join the military? Well, your wish in granted. This is where you'll be learning new battle skills, along with being tested on physical fitness. You will also have lessons in offensive Genesis. At the end, you'll have the option of actually choosing what field you want to specialize in." Gage rolled his eyes, as if the thought of choice was ridiculous. "There are four different options: Medics, Alchemists, Rushers, and Powers. You are also allowed to combine either Medic and Alchemist or Rusher and Power, but your training would be, obviously, twice as brutal. Your sleeping area will be in the building to your right," he pointed to a small, square room with no windows, "and it has attaching bathrooms. After you finish basic training week, you will be put into your mission team. This is pretty much your family; you will fight together, sleep together," at this, a few immature students snickered, earning death glares from Gage, "and pretty much annoy the hell out of each other. Now I guess I should explain those stupid options your granted." Annoyed, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and began to read in a monotone voice.

"Medics heal team members while away, and work in the infirmary while on base using specialized Genesis. Alchemists learn about the different herbs and rocks and combine them with Genesis to produce helpful aids in battle. They research while on base, and are put into action on missions. Rushers build up speed with intense training and the formation of Genesis, and powers do the same but with strength, yada, yada, yada." He folded up the paper and smiled mischievously. "Alright, now that that's over with, time to begin."

* * *

><p>Location: Training Sleeping Quarters. Home Base. Dimension 033. December 30th, 2007. 22:47.<p>

Sore and moaning, Division Three's candidates slowly limped their way to their uncomfortable beds, many with bruises and cuts that covered their bodies. Upon collapsing on his bed, Brian let out a long wail with his face to the sheets.

"I barely have enough strength to breathe, much less change into my pajamas," he complained, attempting to lift his arm and failing miserably. He turned his head away from the suffocating bedspread and looked to his left, where a long row of beds found themselves occupied by grumbling children. To his right, Daisuke slowly changed out of his tattered clothing and finally laid on top of his bed with fresh sleepwear.

"I don't know if they actually expect us to sleep under these sheets; it's a billion degrees in here," he said, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"I wonder if the girls are doing any better," Brian mumbled, looking towards the divider that separated the genders. The girls were definitely not doing any better, unfortunately. They looked just the same as the males: bruised and exhausted. Many of them were in such bad moods that they immediately went to sleep without so much a word to anyone else. May and Carol laid on their beds already dressed, with Alice to their left, fast asleep. May mumbled incoherently about how unfair their treatment was while Carol stared at the ceiling. She thought of home, of her family. Eventually her thoughts fell on her partner and she felt her eyes water.

'_Lunamon...I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. But I swear I'll get you back,_' were her last thoughts as the lights in the room went out and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Location: Training Grounds. Home Base. Dimension 033. January 4th, 2008. 09:07.<p>

"Once I call your name, tell me your desired course. Johnson, Wallace."

Gage was collecting the information from all of his students while Daisuke, Brian, Carol, May, and Alice waited in line with the rest of their division. Their secretly dubbed "Hell Week" was finally over, though they weren't quite sure if things were going to get easier or harder. Unfortunately, some of their comrades weren't fortunate enough to pass the requirements Gage set for them, so they had a whole week of basic training up ahead. In the program, if you didn't match up to expectations, you had to retake the course, just like in school. Alice looked at the line of "failures," as Gage rudely named them, and found herself thanking her lucky star that she managed to barely scrape by the bare minimum with May. She was never the athletic type, and neither was the pretty blonde, but they succeeded in passing. She watched as Brian was the first to reach Gage.

"Power," he stated, and filed behind the line formed for that group. She thought very carefully about her future 'career,' as she liked to put it. This would consume her life, and she made very sure that it was what she wanted most. She continued watching as Carol said, "Medic," and suddenly wondered what her nonathletic friend May had planned.

"Power and Rusher," Daisuke said, earning a raised brow from Gage. He was only the third to double up on training. Alice admired the courage Daisuke had to be willing to undergo double training with that horrible being when she focused in on May's answer.

"Rusher," she said with determination. Alice couldn't help but smile at her. She was truly committed to being her best. She stepped up to the strict man and looked him in the eye. This was it, there was no going back. With a shy smile, she answered,

"Alchemist."


	8. Chapter Seven: Warnings

I apologize for the long delay! The beginning of this year has been so stressful. Jazz band 0 period three days a week, twelve hour Saturday rehearsals and competitions and weekday practices for Marching Band, AP Government Projects and simulations, AP Literature reading, and last, but not least, Senior Year preparations! Nothing like paying too much for your cap and gown.

Anyway, I managed to fit some time in to write Chapter 9, and as a result, I committed to updating this with Chapter 7. Only a month left of the season and then Winterguard starts until April, so I'm not exactly sure how much time I'll have to write more. Please bare with me!

Without further adieu, please enjoy.

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven: <em>Warnings<em>

Location: Training Grounds. Dimension 033. May 27, 2008. 17:08.

The few months following 'Hell Week' had been nearly unbearable to May. She missed her friends dearly, and the most contact that she had with them was through Daisuke when he had Rusher training with her, and that was rare. Their schedules all seemed to conflict, and at night they were all too exhausted to spend time together. The only positive that came out of this was the fact that she became extremely focused in her tasks. Surprisingly enough, she became top of her class, even without any prior athletic training. As such, she became part of the first graduating training class, and would be one of the first to experience the war. Both excited and nervous, she glanced at the crowd surrounding her, looking for a familiar face. She was shocked to find not only one familiar face, but four; apparently, the separation helped everyone's training speed up, and all of her friends were ready to graduate with her. She ran excitedly towards them, arriving in a few seconds due to her extensive training.

The graduation ceremony was surprisingly short; only about two hundred kids earned the right to finish training. Their audience was the rest of the chosen, most of them burning with jealousy. The graduates shook hands with the Council and were officially handed their uniforms (depending on their division) and their pins (that dictated their special abilities). In the short banquet following, Gennai announced the new teams, and once again put the five friends together, along with seven others. All the new members were then given a tour of the complete base, which was much larger than any of them thought to be. They were introduced to their dormitories, with a room for each team. Gennai offhandedly remarked that even though there were coed rooms they had nothing to worry about involving inappropriate conduct; the walls were surprisingly clever.

After arriving in room 713, Gennai bid farewell to Daisuke and company, and continued down the long dormitory hall to randomly put other teams to bed. Expecting nothing more than a room that resembled a cardboard box, they sloppily entered the room. Mouths open, they took in their surroundings in great surprise.

The main door led into a cozy sitting room. There was a sectional that faced a large fireplace that was currently lit. To the right, there were five doors leading to separate bathrooms, much to the relief of the female inhabitants. Straight across on the opposite end of the entrance was a medium sized sleeping area with seven bunk beds that seemed to have been squeezed in together. To the right of that room was a small bay window, the only window in the whole apartment, and across from it, a large desk. Carol claimed the bottom bunk to the right, next to the exit; Daisuke claimed the one on top of hers. Alice asked if she could have two bunks by herself, just so she could use the top for her books. Brian took the bottom bunk to the left across from his sister while May took the one above him. As the others picked their bed, they began introductions. Daisuke took the liberty of leading them while two familiar blondes started on their side.

After what seemed like an eternity, all the members were announced. Michael Washington, Mimi's friend from New York, looked the same as he did before, with wavy blonde hair and a charming smile. Wallace Johnson from Colorado shook hands with Daisuke, looking the same as well. Daisuke also faintly recognized the other children's faces as those from New York when they had to calm Cherrymon down. Maria Tanclude, now twelve, was the youngest involved at the time. She grew her brunette hair down to her waist and pinned her bangs back to reveal her forehead. Her brown eyes showed kindness, and she seemed timid yet sweet. Steve Davidson lost his glasses and replaced them with clear contacts that let his blue eyes be seen. He was approximately six feet tall, easily the tallest of the group, and the oldest at eighteen. Sam Harginson, fourteen, still kept a hat on his head, but it was replaced with a plain black one that matched his shaved hair. He was extremely outgoing and smiled wider than anyone else in the room. Lou Grady didn't have the hairpieces common to his American-Indian heritage anymore; they were put away with his belongings, however, so as to remind him of his family. He cut his hair short and, being sixteen, refused to comb it often and keep it presentable. Last but not least was Tatum Froshure, easily one of the youngest chosen in the program. He was ten years old and barely five feel tall but had at least double the maturity of men twice his age. He had flamboyant red hair that could be seen from miles away, and his brilliant green eyes often made his old school mates call him a Christmas Elf.

The group spent the next few hours socializing until going to sleep, anxious for the next day to arrive with new orders.

* * *

><p>Location: Dimension 033. May 27th, 2008. 23:56.<p>

"So, they've finally finished preparing, have they?"

"Yes, Master. They have teams ready for battle."

"It's about time. I've been looking forward to showing them my creations."

"When would you like us to begin, Your Greatness?"

"Tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Location: Room 713. Home Base. Dimension 033. May 28th, 2008. 04:27.<p>

Daisuke slowly opened his eyes – or rather, he thought he had opened his eyes. Looking around, he found nothing but blackness for miles. He began walking, hoping to find an exit to this eerie place.

"Daisuke!"

He turned around quickly, looking for the source of the voice. It sounded familiar to him, but he couldn't quite figure out why. As the minutes dragged on, he became more anxious. He picked up his pace and began running through the abyss, feeling desperate. He stopped to catch his breath and heard what sounded like running. Turning around, he was again disappointed by the fact that he couldn't see a thing.

"Daisuke! Daisuke!" wailed the voice again, sounding nearer to him than before. It echoed mysteriously around him.

"Hello?" he said cautiously.

"Daisuke!" replied the voice more clearly. Daisuke's mouth opened and his eyes widened.

"...Veemon?" he asked, almost certain that it was his partner's voice he had heard.

"Daisuke, you're in danger." He looked behind him to find his partner, glowing. Daisuke smiled excitedly and ran to embrace him but felt nothing. He had gone right through him. Confused, he sat on the ground in front of his sad faced friend.

"Why can't I touch you?" he asked sadly.

"I'm not real, Daisuke. You're dreaming," his partner replied.

"Dreaming? Then how can I know I'm dreaming? I though you woke up if you knew..."

"I'm here to warn you, Daisuke. Be careful of the nine. They're coming for you and the other golden powers," he said hurriedly. While Daisuke sat contemplating his friend's words, Veemon began disappearing, alarming him.

"Wait, Veemon! Don't go, I need you!" Daisuke pleaded, again reaching out for his friend.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to go now," Veemon cried, his voice becoming distant.

"Don't worry, buddy, I'll bring you back!" Tears began trailing down Daisuke's face.

"I know you will! One last thing; Tenacity is near you, don't let them get her...!"

Daisuke watched his friend disappear, feeling despair and confusion. He cradled his head in his arms and slowly willed himself to sleep, only awaking once again in his dormitory, merely minutes before the alarm rang for roll call. He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes before sitting up, his mind still on his blue friend.


	9. Chapter Eight: Let the Games Begin

Man, I am on a ROLL. I just finished chapter 10 (which I am extremely happy with) so here is chapter 8! This the intro to a mini-arc to bring in the fun stuff of the story. I want to warn you now that I am very weak at describing action scenes, so when it comes to that, I want you to know that this is my first time doing it and that I am trying really hard to describe what goes on in this crazy head of mine.

Well. I supposed I better post this and get to what I was SUPPOSED to be writing for the last couple of hours: my Frankenstein/John Locke connection essay. Oh yummy. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Chapter Eight: <em>Let the Games Begin<em>  
>Location: Mission Room. Home Base. Dimension 033. May 28th, 2008. 7:00.<p>

Carol's eyes watered as she let out a huge yawn, earning her stern looks from the people near her who consequently began to yawn in turn. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at her watch while she thought of her warm bed and how welcoming it seemed at the moment. She looked over the uniforms assigned to them in order to keep her thoughts preoccupied.

While all uniforms were the same forest green color, different divisions had different styles, along with special patches to dictate abilities. Carol's healer patch was a sparkling silver cross on her right arm. Rushers had small silver shoes, Powers had fists, and Alchemists had what looked like a flask. All were very small and permanently attached to the uniforms. As for style, Warriors' were made out of extremely flexible material. The top was merely a black t-shirt covered by a sleeveless vest filled with lightweight padding. Cargo pants were worn along with surprisingly light boots. It looked very military, Carol noticed. Trainers had relatively the same uniform, but theirs wasn't as intricate as the ones the Warriors wore. IGS had everything but the vest, as they spent their time on base and would only need protection for emergencies.

She finished her observations in time to witness Wallace returning with the mission details. He had taken a lead role in the group, and everyone was very willing to go along with it, especially Daisuke, who she noticed had a great deal of respect for the boy.

"Okay, well, it says here that we're supposed to go to the north. There's been some mischief making up there and we're going to clear up the ruckus." The group nodded excitedly, nervous about completing their first task successfully. Even though it was rather simple, they were all determined to prove themselves capable of fighting.

So along the group went, walking at a reasonable pace. The weather in the sector was pretty mild, and the sunshine seemed to raise everyone's spirits. When they reached the targeted area, they decided to split up into two teams to survey the area. So Carol and friends parted one way while Wallace and company went the other. Using their stealth techniques, both groups sneaked around, looking for anything suspicious. Carol sighed in frustration, rising from her spot crouched on the ground.

"There's nothing here. We've been looking for hours, and there's been no sign of anything but more stupid trees."

Almost as if on cue, a black blur jumped out of a nearby hedge and landed catlike on the earth. What stood in front of them was a creature that could only be describe as part Digimon and part mythological being. It was a mixture of the ancient Greek sprite, Kobalo, and a rather large Piximon. It's head was rather square, with huge beady eyes. Its ears were perked upward like an elf's, and instead of a nose, two air holes inhabited the middle of its face. Its body resembled that of Piximon's, although Piximon's cuteness was definitely squashed out. Instead of the petite wings that were attached to the digimon, large black wings, similar to Vamdemon's, were on its back, large enough to completely cover its body. Its hands and feet were both long and clawed, and looked very unappealing. Perhaps the creepiest feature of the demon was the fact that it was pitch black with dangerously red eyes. This creature, later to be known as a Fatum, was made out of evil Genesis.

At the moment, however, the shocked and ignorant group watched the creature prance around at lightning fast speeds. May was the first to snap back to reality and started chasing after the creature. With the help of Daisuke's speed as well, they managed to pin the creature down, but not before it bit May's arm. Brian, although slightly panicked, remembered how to get rid of such creatures, and swiped out his digivice to shine a light at it. It screamed in agony and slowly disappeared. Panting, the group collapsed to the ground.

"That...was...strange," Carol managed to say. She then took a glance at May's bitten arm and gasped. It was throbbing and turning into a purple color. "May! Your arm!"

May looked at it fearfully, and she slowly felt the pain flowing through her veins. Without wasting a second, Alice reached into the backpack she had been carrying. After collecting grasses and adding some weird substances, she handed a small vile to May.

"Here, pour that over it," she said, pointing to the wound. May did as she was told, and in mere moments, it was gone, leaving nothing but two small scars from the fatum's teeth. The group let out sighs of relief. Their celebration was short lived; an ominous voice soon echoed around them.

_**You know so little. No matter how much you train, no matter how much you prepare, this war is not yours to win. Try if you must; it is but a lost cause. If you had even an inkling of sense, you would abandon this place, and let us continue to do our job. I can see, however, that you are foolish enough to keep going. Because of that, your struggles will be great, and your loses will be astronomical. Everything will be in vain. It's just a matter of time...**_

* * *

><p>Location: Unknown. May 28th, 2008. 16:02.<p>

The figure chuckled maniacally in his chair, joined by the nine shadows that hovered around him. He moved his head towards the first of the nine forms and nodded his head. It swiftly disappeared, leaving his surroundings behind.

"Let the games begin."

* * *

><p>Location: Room 713. Home Base. Dimension 033. May 28th, 2008. 21:08.<p>

Upon returning to base, the team found out that the voice that had rang was heard throughout the entire dimension. The Council had shut themselves up in their office immediately afterward and had yet to exit. After a quiet dinner the group decided to retire to their room. When lights out happened, the group automatically covered themselves up and silenced. Eventually, eleven of the twelve bodies found peace and fell into slumber. One young girl, however, cast an absentminded glance out the window, lost in her thoughts.

_ You know so little..._

Alice had always prided herself in her intelligence. She was practical and witty, two traits that made up for her antisocial childhood. It was because of this that those four words bothered her so much. She had spent the last months in training trying to learn all she could about the world they were in. She spent countless hours conversing with Council members, taking vigorous notes. Although slightly surprised at being placed as a Warrior, she used her position to her advantage. Alchemy was a skill that challenged even the brightest of minds here. She graduated top of her class, asking nothing short of perfection from herself.

And then came a voice telling her how _ignorant_ she was.

She would prove them wrong...

/~|~\

She was late. Oh my goodness, she was _very_ late.

Alice bolted through the dormitory doors and ran through the various hallways holding books close to her chest. Her alchemy review started at seven sharp, and she had somehow managed to sleep through the various alarms set to wake everyone in the morning.

_ 'When I see the others, I'm going to KILL them...'_

She burst into the classroom and all eyes darted to her as she bent over to catch her breath. The Gennai clone at the front of the room gave her a stern look as she hurried towards the last empty seat. A guy she hadn't seen before sat next to her, with curly black hair and piercing gray eyes. He rested his head on his hand as he watched her curiously throughout the lesson. After the class was dismissed, he interrupted her as she prepared to leave.

"Hello," he said, holding out his hand. "The name's Isaac. I just graduated from the program." She wearily shook his hand, distracted by various thoughts.

"Hi, Isaac. I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry to get back to my team-"

"Oh, no worries, here, let me take those." He reached over to the books stacked on her desk and picked them up. Flattered, Alice's cheeks turned red as she led the way back to her dorm.

"Thanks so much."

"Oh, it's no problem at all. Hope to see you around, Alice." He winked at her with a charming smile before retracing his steps. Alice noticed a strange feeling inside what seemed like her stomach as she smiled and entered the dorm, completely forgetting the fact that she had never mentioned her name to him.


	10. Chapter Nine: Ignorance Is Your New Best

Chapter Nine: _Ignorance is Your New Best Friend_

Location: Home Base. Dimension 033. August 5th, 2008. 1:48.

A dark, curly hair boy laid under a palm tree inside the base's courtyard, smirking to himself. Moments prior, he managed to complete the main objective set to him by the master. It took him only two short months to gain the trust of the stupid girl, and he wasted no time in taking advantage of it. The Master would most certainly be pleased. Within minutes, the entire base would awake to the sound of an emergency alarm. It should then be divulged that their database was not only completely whipped out, but that it was none other than that Alice girl's fault. He closed his eyes as he eagerly anticipated the commotion.

Location: Home Base. Dimension 033. August 5th, 2008. 1:58.

Dressed in pajamas, the entire base lined up for roll call in the mess hall at the sound of the emergency siren. Many tried to express their concerns to their friends but were only denied due to protocal; everyone must remain silent.

A few minutes later, a few Gennai clones gathered at the front with Gage. He surveyed the crowd until his eyes landed on a girl. He signaled to his group and they grabbed her and led her from the hall.

"We have been deceived and betrayed," Gage's voiced echoed around the large room. "One of our own has hacked into our information systems and erased out entire database." Looks of shock spread throughout the room. After taking roll once more and reading through a laundry list of warnings about misbehaving, the Council dismissed the room and retreated to the room where Alice Raybeck was being held.

/~|~\

"I swear to you that it wasn't me."

"We have undeniable proof, Raybeck. Your fingerprints where everywhere!"

"Now, now, Gage. Let's hear the lady speak," Gennai calmly intervened the raging argument with lines of worry on his face.

"But she's a criminal, sir! She must be deported at once," Gage looked surprised at Gennai's behavior and was about to add more before he was silenced by Gennai's raised hand. He sighed and looked towards Alice with warm eyes.

"Okay, Alice, here's what we're going to do. Although we have solid proof that you committed the crime, I know you. You would never do something to jeopardize us, especially when it comes to being informed. I will grant you a month in which you can prove your innocence. If you fail to do so, we will have to send you away. Understand?" Alice nodded weakly and she was escorted out of the room. The Council sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating the events of the night.

"Sir, we're going to have to work twice as hard to recover all the lost information," Ginny spoke. Gennai merely nodded, gazing off to the distance.

"Do you really think the girl had nothing to do with it, sir?" Gabe asked.

"Yes. I know Alice. She would never do this."

"Well...if she didn't," Ginny said, "then who did?"

Location: Room 713. Home Base. Dimension 033. August 5th, 2008. 2:37.

May calmly stroked Alice's hair as she cried on her pillow. Although the entire group had promised to help catch the real miscreant, Alice was not easily consoled. The others paced the room searching their brains for possible suspects. The night wore on slowly, and the rising sun cast rays of light through their blinds. A knock on the door alerted them, and May turned to answer it.

"Hello," a boy said. "I was just wondering if I could check up on Alice." May nodded, not surprised by their visitor.

Isaac and Alice talked quietly in the corner while May watched them curiously. She noted that the usually friendly boy seemed somewhat uptight. Perhaps it was her lack of sleep, but she could have sworn that he seemed almost joyful and the young girl's state. She mentally hit herself at these thoughts. The boy had been so kind for last few months; there's no reason why he wouldn't be now.

/~|~\

Everywhere she went, Alice was followed with hateful stares and snide comments. She thought she would be able to turn to her best friend Isaac, but even he seemed to become more distant from her. Depressed, she spent her days doing her review lessons and sitting in the dorm. She was urged by her friends to try to find who framed her, but she honestly didn't feel like doing much of anything, and even started to believe that leaving didn't sound like such a bad idea.

One day, she was making her dreaded walk to a late review session when she noticed Isaac walking down a different hall. Wanting to confront him about his weird behavior, she followed after him. She was about to call his name when she noticed that he seemed to be sneaking around. Distracted, Alice gave up on going to her review and stealthily followed after him. She hid around a column while he took out what seemed like a cell phone and began talking. Alice strained her ears to listen to the conversation.

"I did...no clue...she can't...yes...never..."

Impatient, Alice managed to sneak her way closer to clear up his voice.

"Yes. In two weeks, Alice will be sent home and no one will know it was me."

She let out an involuntary gasp, causing Isaac to look around the courtyard he was in. Satisfied that he was alone, he ended the conversation and left the area, whistling a tune.

Alice sat leaning against the pillar for quite some time.

_ 'He betrayed me...I thought he was my best friend. I was actually starting to like the idiot...'_

She furiously wiped her blurry, watery eyes and set off for the dorm to alert everyone of what she had witnessed.

Location: Room 713. Home Base. Dimension 033. August 27th, 2008. 18:07.

"That bastard! Let me at him!" Brian sped towards the door only to be blocked by May.

"Brian, calm down. We can't let him know that we're on to him. We have to tell Gennai or another Council member," she said, struggling to keep him from passing through. Carol sat on Alice's bed, wrapping Alice in a one armed hug, rubbing the young girl's shoulder sympathetically. The rest of Wallace's group sat with worried eyes and hateful stairs, waiting for action to be taken. Michael was the first to volunteer.

"I'll tell Gage," he suddenly stated. "He's the one who will get stuff done, and I'm obviously the only one comfortable speaking to him." Taking silence as an agreement, he left the room and headed to Gage's office. No more than ten minutes later came an announcement over the intercom, calling a mandatory meeting in the mess hall.

/~|~\

The room was filled with whispers and questioning looks as the Council filed in one by one. After roll was quickly taken, they silenced the room and Gage stepped forward to being.

"We have come to publicly apologize for a previous misunderstanding," he started somewhat begrudgingly. "We made an assumption that Alice Raybeck was responsible for wiping our databases out. We were incorrect." Whispers again filled the hall but quickly stopped with a disapproving look from Gage. "We now know the real culprit. Ginny, please bring the boy."

Ginny walked up wearily to Gage and whispered something quickly in his ear.

"Gone?!" he shouted at her. "What do you mean he's-"

Gage was interrupted by an explosion from the east wing and rumbling through the hall. The Warriors immediately began to take battle stations, and the Council led their respective teams to their areas of duty.

The only thing that greeted them when they arrived at the scene was dust and smoke. Visually impaired by the air, all of the fighters quickly took a defensive stance against the unknown. Minutes passed in silence before a loud roaring echoed through the base. The smoke cleared to reveal an enormous dragon, nearly thirty feet tall. Its scales had a dark royal purple tint, and its fifteen foot tail was covered in spikes. Its teeth resembled those spikes, and, just like the Fatum, its eyes were bloodshot red. It gave off an eerie feeling similar to that of Kimeramon, and perched on its shoulder was none other than Isaac, a smirk spread across his face.

"I see you're rather impressed with my Tenebra, here," he shouted gleefully, watching the shocked faces of the people below. "Wait until you see what he can REALLY do!"

As if on cue, the dragon opened its mouth to attack the group with a large wall of green flames. Warriors gifted with water attempted to douse it, but the fire prevailed.

"Hah! It's no use. That fire cannot be extinguished. You'll have nothing to do but to watch this place burn!" While Tenebra continued to use its fire attack, Wallace and Daisuke's group managed to meet each other and frantically weigh the actions they could take against the enemy. Their effort was in vein, however, as they rarely got together long enough before the dragon figure would attack their way. For hours the Warriors played what seemed like a game of tag with the monster, running away from it and attacking with no serious effects. Before long, they were panting, and as their bodies fatigued, they slowed down, making them more susceptible to its attacks. One by one, the Warriors started being singed and at times burned by the everlasting flame. Gage desperately called back to IGS but no information could be given about the enemy. It was as if they were fighting with a blindfold.

Alice shook with fear as her comrades began to fall. Her eyes widened greatly before fiercely closing shut, tears straying down her face.

'What good am I supposed to be if I can't even come up with a stategy in battle...' she thought through gritted teeth. At the sound of a scream, she dropped to the ground in hopelessness. 'You wanted to prove that you're not ignorant. You wanted to boast of your knowledge. Now look at you. No help and you're crying on the floor like a baby. How useless...' she let out a soft whimper. 'All of your friends are going to die...all because of this stupid everlasting fire-'

She paused. Her mouth dropped as she wiped away her tears and strongly stood on her feet, remembering a mythology book she had read in her school library. She smiled fiercely and sprinted to Brian, who was taking shelter behind a piece of debris.

"Brian!" she shouted excitedly. Without letting him respond, she continued. "I know how to get rid of this fire! I read it in a book. In order to get rid of the flames, we have to destroy its source-"

"Yeah...that's...great, Alice," he panted annoyingly. "But how on earth are we supposed to even kill this thing?"

"Haven't you ever read a fairy tale?" she asked excitedly. "You have to stab its heart!"

"This isn't an ordinary dragon-!"

"No, it's not. It's a dragon made of dark Genesis. In order to stab through him, we have to use LIGHT, Brian. A sword of light!"

"How are we supposed to get the sword of light? According to the instructors, the only ones capable of summoning it are the bearers of Hope, Light, and the Golden Powers-" She smiled knowingly at him and gestured towards Daisuke. He looked at her and his eyes widened.

"He's- how do you- how can you be sure?"

"I just know. Trust me."

That was all he needed. The raced to inform his friend, and, although shocked at the leaked knowledge, consented to the plan.

Daisuke closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the Genesis energy electrify each nerve. An ironic thought came up about how Hikari would have been the perfect one for this job before he pictured the sword in his mind. His body began to glow a warm yellow tint before a white light shot from the palm of his right hand. A sword formed out of the light and he grasped the white handle with a firm grip.

The weapon was long and majestic. The blade was a smooth, silver color with a blindingly clean polish that gleamed even in complete darkness. The handle itself was a pure white color. It was shaped like an hourglass to make it easier to firmly drip, and it had what felt like a magnetic attraction to the wielder's hand. On one side of the blade was an engraving of the symbol for the crest of light, which carried a slightly pink tone, much to the dislike of Daisuke.

Everyone around was suddenly mesmerized and astonished by the object, including Isaac. Daisuke took this opportunity to pounce at the large creature. It swung its claws at Daisuke, but he managed to swiftly dodge him thanks to his Rusher training. They aimed at each other back and forth, Daisuke become weary at the energy he was exerting. Finally, with the help of his team mates, he managed to corner the being. Isaac spit curses out at them, but seemed unwilling to retreat from the creature. Daisuke stabbed the creature in the heart with his sword, and with a bloodcurdling roar, the dragon disintegrated, much like a digimon would in the Digital World.

Isaac attempted to limp away from the scene, but ended up being caught by Gage himself. Alice confidently walked up to him with a serious look.

"I trusted you," she began. He paused his struggling against Gage's grip to spit at the girl. She them smirked. "But you were wrong."

"Wrong? I am NEVER wrong!" he screamed at her.

"You thought that no one would figure out your little plan. That all of us were idiots. That was your mistake, Isaac. Or should I even call you that? I'm positive that it's not your real name."

"Damn right it's not. You better release me. I can do things you wouldn't even dream of-"

Alice slapped him, and he threw a venomous look towards her.

"I'm sorry, Ignorace. But you won't play a fool of us anymore."

His eyes widened as she reached for her digivice and with a quick gesture, it shone a light that swallowed him up.


	11. Chapter Ten: It's Our Turn

Just a quick note. When Carol's nickname Car' is used, it's pronounced care, not...well, car.

* * *

><p><p>

Chapter Ten: _It's Our Turn_

Location: Gennai's Office. Home Base. Dimension 033. February 3rd, 2010. 1:18

Gennai rubbed his temples as he glanced over mountains of reports. Findings have proven that the enemy has indeed been staying low, but it made no sense to him. It had been about a year and a half since the appearance of ignorance, yet all they've managed to do is delete a few Genesis beings.

Not that deleting them wasn't a great thing. They had managed to collect countless information on almost every type of Genesis creature created. What worried him was that while they were busy deleting the small fry, IGS had still no inkling of what the enemy could be planning. Something that takes this long to plan isn't something that should be ignored. He needed to bring in reinforcements.

Location: Apartment 7. Odaiba, Japan. February 3rd, 2010. 12:36.

The Chosen sat around Koushiro's living room, waiting for him to return. His room mate was out for the day, and the computer genius called an impromptu meeting. Although many had to reschedule conflicts and skip on classes, they had all agreed to meet, seeing as these gatherings were very rare and usually very important.

For the past five years, the Odaiba destined had been charged with the occupation of securing the border between Earth and other worlds. With the help of Azulongmon's core and their newly granted digivices, they managed to travel and secure not only Japan but the entire world. It was tiring and rather expensive without the help of digimon, but they had managed to get it done.

Koushiro ran into the room with his new laptop and hooked it up to the flat screen. He swiftly pushed cans of highly caffeinated soda off of the coffee table and sat his computer on it, typing away furiously. After what seemed like five minutes of silence, Mimi cleared her throat.

"Um, Koushiro..." she started wearily, afraid of the consequences should she interrupt him at work. "I know you're busy and all, but you must have called us here for a reason, right...? I mean, I completely canceled my hair appointment because you said it was important and that's a twenty dollar deposit down the drain-"

"Done!" Koushiro explained, turning on the television. On the screen was none other than Gennai, smiling at them with a rather tired expression. Dark circles fell under his eyes and his posture was one that mimicked an insomniac. Koushiro proudly retreated to the couch with a smug smile on his face and flopped down between Yamato and Taichi.

"Well done, Koushiro. I knew your genius wouldn't fail me," Gennai started, his voice raspy. "I have come to tell you good job. At the same time, however, your work has just begun. I apologize for not giving you enough time to warn your families; I will assure you that I have taken that liberty myself." The group looked at him quizzically before he continued.

"In December of 2007, I invited Chosen Children from all over the world to join me in what is now known as Dimension 003. Since then, my clones and I have personally trained and informed each of these children of the dangers and wonders of this Dimension. It was a decision of not only the Council, but of the Sovereigns before their departure, that you be kept here to guard your world, as it is the most vulnerable without other chosen."

"Wait," Taichi interrupted, standing. "You mean to say that this entire time, there has been a war going on in another world, and we weren't even invited? Bullshit! WE were the ones to helped save the Digital World in the first place!" Sora grabbed a hold of his hand in attempt to calm him, but he continued shooting daggers with his eyes at Gennai.

"I know you must be upset, Taichi. It is understandable, and I apologize. We did not mean to dishonor your achievements. However, it must be noted that this isn't just about saving the Digital World. This is about protecting your world, and every other world, as well as restoring the now extinguished Digital World. It goes far beyond what eleven young adults are capable of doing, I'm sad to say." Taichi slowly retreated to his seat, calming down a bit.

"So why are you telling us all this now?"

"Because it is your turn. I am sorry, but again, I must ask just a little too much of you. I need you to join us in this dimension, undergo accelerated training, and join the force as soon as possible. Something is going to happen, and we need as much help as we can get. But don't forget: you are free to decide." The room tensed as each of the destined looked to another.

"I'll do it."

The group stared in shock as Iori, the youngest member, stood up proudly before Gennai. "The Digital World helped me figure myself out more than I could have dreamed. I will do anything to restore it, and to help bring back Armadimon."

One by one the rest of them joined Iori, and Gennai smiled proudly at them.

"Alright, then. We seem to have a consensus. Let's begin."

Location: Room 713. Home Base. Dimension 033. February 3rd, 2010. 18:54.

"Okay, he should be coming in anytime now."

"Ohhhh, I'm so EXCITED!"

"Shhh, May, be quiet! Don't you know the meaning of 'surprise'?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just can't contain myself!"

"Well, you're going to have to."

"Guys, stop arguing! You're going to give us away!"

"Sorry, Alice."

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"Everyone, just shut it! I hear him coming!"

The door creaked open, letting in a stream of light from the lit hallway into the dark room. Mumbling could be heard as the man that came in tripped over an object unseen as he felt his way to the light switch.

"Don't leave any freaking lights on, geez..." He flipped up the light switch and turned around.

"SURPRISE!"

His frown changed to a look of surprise and quickly to a huge grin as he took in his surroundings. Before he could fully absorb them, though, his sight was quickly blocked by wavy brown hair as he was enveloped in a hug.

"Happy birthday, Dai!" Carol said, and he laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't believe you guys did all of this!" he said astonished and moved towards the center of the room where a cake sat on a table with sixteen candles.

"How could we just ignore your sixteenth, Daisuke?" May said with a bright smile. "Here, open my present first!"

"No, me!"

"No, mine, mine!"

One by one, Daisuke unwrapped the pile of gifts given to him by his team mates. They weren't big presents; after all, there wasn't much to buy in their small convenience center. He was grateful for the blue shirt Wallace had given him, and the picture in a frame of the team from May. He finally got to the last gift. He looked around for its owner, and saw Carol smile in anticipation. He eagerly opened the wrappings and looked at the contents.

"Oh, look! A box! EXACTLY what I wanted!"

After a weak punch in the shoulder, he removed the tape and looked inside. His stomach flipped.

A soccer ball.

How long had it been?

He grabbed it and stared, moving it in his hands, reminiscing on its feel. He suddenly realized all the stares and how rude his response had been. He looked up gratefully at his best friend and smiled the most meaningful smile he could conjure up.

"Thank you, Car'."

/~|~\

Daisuke laid on his bed, wrapped in his new comforter and playing with the soccer ball, thinking of the day's events. He looked around the room and found everyone fast asleep, Tatum even sounding our random words along the lines of, "no, don't take my pancakes," and "where's my syrup?" An idea came to his mind, and he silently climbed down from the top bunk, careful not to wake Carol underneath. He grabbed his coat and his soccer ball, slipped on his sneakers, and slid through the door and out to the fields.

Although his breath was clearly visible in the cold winter air, he smiled and glanced up at the stars. He thought of the trouble he was risking, being out after hours, but instantly shoved those thoughts out of his mind. He sat the soccer ball on the damp grass in front of his feet, and stared at it for a second. Slowly, he began to dribble the ball back and forth between the obstacle course and the racing track. He became increasingly faster, and before he knew it, he started panting and sweating, enough for him to throw his sweater off in thirty degree weather. He set up two makeshift goal posts using hurdles from the track and began to play a solo game of soccer, announcing his every move as if he was in a league game.

"Motomiya shoots, he scores! And the crowd goes wild!" He ran a victory lap around the "soccer field" and laughed happily, quickly turning to retrieve the ball.

But the ball was rolling towards him. He grabbed it and looked around.

"Talking to yourself? Isn't that a sign of insanity?" Carol walked towards him laughing at his surprised look. She grabbed the ball from his hand and ran away teasingly. "Can't play soccer by yourself!" Daisuke smiled and chased after her.

Hours passed by as they played, laughing and ignoring the signs of a rising sun. Panting, Carol collapsed on the grass, ignoring the water that was slowly seeping through her pajama shirt. Daisuke followed her lead and laid next to her so that they were both glancing at the sky.

"We are going to be so tired," Carol stated. A moment of silenced ensued before they both burst out laughing, crawling on the ground with hysteria due to lack of sleep. As they calmed down, Carol sat up and looked towards the east to enjoy the incoming sunrise.

"You know," she started as Daisuke sat up and looked to her. "This world is so much like ours. The grass feels the same, the weather feels the same...even the sun rises and sets in the exact same way that it does in the real world." He looked towards the scene as he marbled in its beauty. The clouds proudly wore a magenta color and the sky faded from a majestic midnight blue to a soft white washed gold. He closed his eyes as the sun's slight warmth graced his skin and he took a deep breath as he enjoyed the smells of a chilly morning. He stood up and attempted to wipe some of the grass off his back before turning to Carol and offering a hand. She graciously took it and, grabbing jackets and the ball, they headed back to the dormitory in order to avoid the morning rush.

"I felt so...free," Daisuke blurted, scrounging his face up to illustrate the difficulty he was having in expressing his feelings. "Playing soccer. I felt like I was twelve again. Like I was back at school, playing league. That beating the other team was the biggest worry I had."

"We all had to grow up a little to fast," Carol agreed.

"Well, thank you, Car'."

"You already thanked me for ball," she giggled.

"Naw, I mean," he stopped to search for his words. "Thank you for reminding me about...me."

Carol smiled softly.

"...you're welcome."


	12. Chapter Eleven: Fear Itself

Chapter Eleven: _Fear Itself_

Location: Room 713. Home Base. Dimension 033. June 19, 2010. 05:46.

"I can't believe I have to do this."

"I can't believe you're actually going to comply!"

Daisuke stared at the mirror and gulped heavily. He had lasted so long, but new regulations have forced him to call it quits. The rest of his team assembled around the room, most with amused expressions and a few holding back laughter. Wallace walked up and patted him on the back sympathetically.

"Just get it over with, dude."

Daisuke shut his eyes.

/~|~\

"There. All done!"

Daisuke opened his eyes once more to be greeted by the stares of all his teammates. Lou and Sam stood in the back laughing hysterically while Michael nodded his head in approval. The rest were too fixated on Daisuke's head to respond. After a few seconds of silence, he grew impatient.

"Well? How bad is it?" May smiled.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" Daisuke sighed and stood to turn and face the mirror behind him. His eyes widened immensely and his hands made a beeline to his hair. No longer was it the out of control, maroon mess that it once was. Instead, it was now short and military like, having to comply to the male hair standards set by the council. After the shock subsided, Daisuke found himself beginning to like his new look. He also felt relief; it was as if cutting off his hair was like severing his ties to the past. He stepped back to look at himself in full. It could have been worse.

Location: Unknown. June 19, 2010. 06:27.

"Our last mission was a failure. We've been training hard for quite some time now. Do NOT fail me."

"Yes, master. You won't be disappointed."

Location: Forest. Dimension 033. June 20, 2010. 20:43.

"Oh wow, I honestly cannot get used to this."

Daisuke fumbled with his haircut as he stared down towards his reflection in the river. The group had been sent out to investigate mysterious events in the woods yet again, and was taking a short break from a six-hour climb up a steep hill.

"Quit your whining, bro, you were practically the last person that got the haircut," Tatum absentmindedly retorted, releasing a hand from the pile of wood he had been carrying in order to rub his own head, longing for his old hair.

"One of the main reasons I'm so glad I'm a girl," Maria grinned and high fived May.

The team lit a fire and cooked some simple food they had brought with them from the base. The girls began their mindless chatter about things they missed back home while the guys entertained themselves by mixing small left overs that most certainly did not go together and forced each other to eat it. After a few minutes, everyone calmed down, and Wallace swallowed his last bite begrudgingly and cleared his throat.

"So…" he began seriously, "…anyone have scary stories they'd like to share?" He winked mischievously.

"Oh, no, no, no, no! Scary stories and I do not mix!" May stood up rapidly in order to try to escape the campfire. "I'm just going to go to bed-"

"Oh, no you don't!" Maria grabbed the back of her shirt. "If I have to sit through this, you do, too." May pouted and sat down holding her knees. Throughout the next few minutes, countless classics were told, such as Bloody Mary, and each time the climax of the story would arrive, May would shake and burry her head in Maria's shoulder. The rest of the group found this extremely funny, until one story where May screamed so loud they were sure that people in Texas could hear her.

"Alright, guys, I guess we'll call it a night," Wallace said while chuckling at May's reaction. Everyone snuggled up under his or her blanket and Sam extinguished the fire as the camp slowly fell into slumber. Well, all except for May, whose imagination and fear kept her eyes stapled open.

_'They were just stories, May…calm down-'_ she gasped quietly upon hearing a small branch break, and then rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness.

_'Just go to sleep, everything will be just fine in the morning…' _she rolled over to her other side and forced her eyes shut, and soon enough she drifted off into a slightly restless sleep.

/~|~\

May awoke early the next morning to muffled shouts. She slowly opened her eyes and squinted at the bright sun that peeked through the treetops.

"What do you mean, they're gone?!"

"They just are! All their stuff is still here, but they're no where to be found!"

She sat up and glanced around the camp. All the others were awake and seemed to be on edge. She frowned and turned towards Wallace and Brian.

"Who's gone?" she asked quietly.

"Maria, Michael, Steve, Tatum, Sam, and Lou," Wallace replied seriously. "Brian woke up and found them gone, and we haven't been able to find them." Just then, a blood-curling scream echoed through the forest, alarming the warriors.

"That was Maria!" May exclaimed, jumping up and instinctively following the source of the sound. She ran quickly as the rest of the team hurried behind her. After what seemed like fifteen minutes of chasing something nonexistent, May paused to catch her breath. As her panting slowed, she began the notice how eerily silent her surroundings became. No birds, no wind – and certainly no friends. She gulped loudly, and instantly began to panic.

_'Oh, no…it's just like those horror stories…!'_

_**Who's going to save you now that you're all alone?**_

__"Who's there?" May squealed. Wherever that voice had come from, it did not sound human.

_**That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? With no one else around you, you're almost like fish bait. **_

May shook uncontrollably from fear as the voice grew clearer and louder. A thick fog rolled into her surroundings as daylight became dimmer. Soon enough, she could barely spot her own palm when she held it inches from her face. She strained her ears for sounds of company, but the silence almost deafened her. As each lingering second passed, her fear grew rapidly. She hated being lonely, she always had.

_'Even when I was younger, I never had my parents around…they were always too busy for me. And now all my friends are gone…' _She closed her eyes as tears slowly rolled down her face.

"May, don't you dare give up now!" echoed a familiar voice. May snapped her eyes open and looked around.

"Brian…?" She frowned at the lack of response, but her heart rate increased significantly.

_'There's still hope! I can rescue them, I really can!'_ She wiped her tears and started running. She had no clue where she was headed, but she knew that staying still wouldn't be of use.

_**You really think you can save your friends? Try again, foolish human.**_

__May gasped as she tripped and rolled on the ground. She lifted her head to look back at what she stumbled over, and noticed a leg wearing familiar clothing. She felt the color leave her face and her jaw dropped.

'Please, no…oh, God….' She crawled slowly to the body and looked at its face.

It was Maria. And it didn't stop there.

Sam, Lou, Michael, Steve, Tatum. All of them, their legs spread wide, puddles of blood surrounding their still bodies.

May couldn't even scream.

_**They're dead. And what can you do about it? Absolutely nothing.**_

__The voice laughed maniacally as she curled up into fetal position, shaking with eyes wide open. It was right. She couldn't do anything about it – her dearest friends were dead, and she might as well be next. Fear gripped her tight; she thought she would die from her heart rate alone.

Suddenly, she thought of a poster in her second grade classroom. She remembered how she was teased day in and day out for being scared of almost everything to the point where she would hardly leave the room for recess. She remembered her teacher noticing her struggles and pointing to that poster. _There's nothing to fear but fear itself._

May blinked for the first time in what seemed like hours. Slowly, she shakily brought herself to her feet and took a deep breath.

"You're just like Ignorance, aren't you?" she nervously spoke. Even though the creature didn't speak back, she continued. "You're just feeding on my fear. That's what you are. Fear. Well, you know what? You're not going to control me anymore."

**Stupid girl. What makes you think you can beat me? I OWN YOU!**

"No! Not anymore!" she shouted, and a beam of light shot from the digivice located in her pocket. The fog settled and she stood face to face with what looked like a girl with long black hair and black eyes, staring straight into her soul. May started to take a step back before stopped herself. She stood up straight and looked back at the creature.

"I've spent all of my life being afraid. Afraid of being alone, afraid of death…but what I didn't realize is that the only thing I've been afraid of is my own fear!" She lifted her hand and slapped the girl, causing her to stagger backwards. She continuously threw punches and jabs, causing the girl to fall to the ground, unable to stand. "I won't let you get the best of me anymore! I want you gone, and I want my friends back!" She grabbed her digivice and pointed it at the girl's direction, causing her to shatter and return data to the digital world.

May panted with a determined look, almost not noticing a bright glare that glowed behind her. She turned around and was greeted with a strong hug from Carol as she smiled. She excitedly looked towards her other friends – but they weren't as happy. She followed the direction of their glance and her face fell.

Her friends. Dead.

She had hopped it was a mistake, a mind trick by Fear.

But it was real. It was very real.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Saying Goodbye

There aren't going to be any significant time jumps in the story anymore, so I'm going to get rid of the time format that I've been using. Plus, it was a real pain in the ass. :)

Anyway, this chapter is really really short as it's pretty much just a set up. Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve: _Saying Goodbye_

Daisuke wiped his brow as he finished patting down the final grave. He could hear the girls' whimpers slowly fading as he joined the rest of his friends. Wallace stared pan-faced at the fresh graves marked with flowers brought by May. He hadn't spoken a word in the last five hours, much less shown any emotion. The group bowed their heads in silence, letting the full severity and grief of the moment pass over them. Brian quietly retreated from the group in order to make a call back to base to inform them of the news while what was left of the group attempted to ease Wallace back into a responsive manner.

"Wallace…please, come back to us…"

"I know this is hard…"

May and Carol shared worried looks as they were denied any response from the boy. They rubbed his back sympathetically while Daisuke looked in his eyes for signs of life. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"It's like he left with them…"

Brian came back into the clearing to pass on orders of their immediate return. After everything was packed up, the group slowly led Wallace as they journeyed down the hill. Night began to fall as they decided to set up camp yet again before making the final stretch to home. Wallace, though still silent, managed to move and respond again, though his expression still lacked any sense of emotion. Everyone sat around the fire without speaking, not one of them able to find sleep easily after the events of the day. Daisuke closed his eyes to indulge himself in the warmth from the fire. He listened to the soft crackling made by the embers – until suddenly there was none.

He opened his eyes, but could see nothing. The fire was gone and instead of its crackling, screams of his friends filled the air around him. He searched the waistband of his pants for his digivice in order to send an SOS signal to base, but was thrown to the floor by another body, causing his head to hit a rock and split open. His eyelids became heavy, and he felt his consciousness drift in and out. He attempted to stumble to his feet but was kicked back to the ground by a towering figure. He felt whatever it was grab his shirt by the color and lift him.

"No – we already have two of them, we'll come back for him later."

And with that, he was dropped to the ground as his world became black.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Desperate Times

Long time no post! Here's the deal – I started college in fall of '12 and got kind of caught up in life. I do, however, have some unpublished (albeit rough) chapters of this story that I'm willing to post. I've gotten a new spark of interest for this story, but I simply cannot guarantee that I'll be able to write more chapters, much less finish it. Regardless, here are a couple of chapters that have been sitting on my computer for almost two years now.

Chapter Thirteen : _Desperate Times_

The panic set in, along with the guilt. How could he have let this happen? He was supposed to be second-in-command, ready to face any enemy, yet he couldn't even stop a simple ambush. He slowly opened his eyes to witness the blaring white of the infirmary's ceiling. Once his hearing senses returned, he noticed a murmur of hurried whispers in the room. Slowly, he rose from the bed and glanced around. At his movement, Gennai hurried over to him. Before he had the chance to salute, he was whisked from the bed and pushed down the hall. He followed on Gennai's heel quite rapidly for someone trying to regain balance for having to get up so suddenly. He hardly noticed the two Division I officers trailing behind them. Once they arrived at his office, Gennai turned to him as the officers locked the door. He noticed he looked uneasy, a rapid change from the usually stern Gennai that he was in uniform.

"Motomiya," he began, followed by a slight pause. "We have a problem."

"Yes, sir?" was the confused reply. Of course they had a problem; they had been completely unable to detect an ambush. That was a basic skill that all warriors had to attain. Nonetheless, Gennai continued.

"At approximately 23:11 Monday night," Daisuke turned to look at the time to find, in astonishment, that he had been unconscious for three days, "an attack squad ruled by Infidelity was sent on a mission to abduct the carrier of Tenacity, otherwise known as your friend, Carol. Upon arriving at the scene, the rescue team found the body of Warrior Wallace Johnson, and no trace of the girl; they succeeded." At this, he felt the color leave his body and his knees drop to the floor. The room felt distant, and the minor commotion of the officers behind him at his fall seemed like a universe away. After nothing short than an eternity, Daisuke looked up to find Gennai kneeling in front of him. One look was all it took for him to understand what was to be asked, but he still continued in a softer tone.

"You will be asked to embark on a Journey to the southeast, towards Infidelity's territory. Tenacity is one of the three Golden Digimentals. Wallace's digimental of Faith was unfortunately abducted by the enemy upon his death, and so if Tenacity is lost as well, our war might as well be considered a defeat. You will be sent alone, as all of your team members are still recovering. You will meet up with a new group of recruits who are more than well-qualified for this task." Gennai gave him a knowing look that went unnoticed by the still shocked Daisuke. Gennai aggressively sat up and demanded the same of the poor boy. He started to salute, and Daisuke followed suit. "You are to depart immediately. Good luck to you." Once finished, Daisuke was violently shoved out the door by the officers and accompanied to the supplies room.

"Here!" Daisuke was handed a sack. Upon looking inside he discovered a vile of healing serum, a pocketknife, a smoke bomb, and a bunch of dehydrated food bags. Before he could even ask how he was supposed to lug the items around, he was handed a small velvet pouch. To his amazement, the officers pushed all the items into the pouch and managed to keep it pocket-sized.

"Cool, right?" the first officer said at Daisuke's reaction.

"It's a brand new invention from our division!" boasted the second one.

"Thanks to the laws of this world, we can make a whole bunch of cool things that can help us in battle. Anyway, you gotta go. Good luck to you!" At the last comment, Daisuke was shoved out the door as it closed behind him. With a new look of determination on his face, he pocketed the pouch and began his mission.

_'__Don't worry, Car'. I'll save you even if it's the last thing I'll do.'_

/~|~\

"ACHOO!"

"Taichi!"

"I'm -sniff- sorry! It's the -sniff- stupid pollen!"

The original digidestined found themselves pushing through a field of flowers on their way to their first mission. Unfortunately, just because they were in a different dimension didn't mean that they could escape all real world laws, and along with pollinated flowers came allergies. This slowed their pace down slightly, as Taichi had the need to sneeze every minute.

"Oh! Finally! The forest starts there!" Miyako exclaimed as she pointed further ahead.

"Alright guys! Let's -sniff- go!" Taichi ran towards the trees as if his life depended on it, much to the amusement of his friends. Within the next hour, he regained his sense of smell and they continued their journey for the rest of their day. Once the sun fell, they found themselves at a clearing that Yamato declared perfect for camping out. After watch shifts were split between them, they attempted to enjoy some extremely tasteless dehydrated food around a campfire. Among the mindless chatter and laughter, Iori managed to hear movement in the trees. The rest of the camp silenced at seeing his stiffness. In a single swift movement, Takeru managed to pin the trespasser against a tree – or so he thought. When they got there, they found nothing but his dagger, which he quickly took back from the trunk.

"There's no need to attack. I come with friendly terms, I promise."

The group turned around to find a figure coming out of the forest. A young man about five foot nine with freshly cut maroon hair emerged with a slightly familiar look about him. After he saw his attackers, however, his face changed to a look of surprise, and his eyes reflected a look of sadness. A minute of awkward silence passed until Ken spoke up.

"You look familiar..." he mused at the intruder. Against the wishes of his teammates, he walked closer to the boy and stared for a few seconds before a look of comprehension dawned on him. "It couldn't be...Daisuke...?" When he muttered their former friend's name, the rest of the chosen gasped in recognition. Taichi was the first to regain his composure. He pushed gently past Ken and glared angrily towards him.

"So you're alive," was his first response. After not getting a reply, he continued, "yet you never had the decency to contact us?" The tension at the campsite thickened. Daisuke looked down at his shoes in shame; he knew this would have happen one day or another.

"I..-"

"You have no right!" Taichi yelled angrily. It had been years since they had heard from Daisuke, and all of the sudden he showed up. He wasn't just mad, he was furious! He had trusted this boy more than anything with not only the protection of the digital world, but his sister as well. When disappeared, that trust had been shattered. "You can't just show up and expect to be welcomed with open arms, Motomiya. That's not the way it works," he growled.

"I never expected it to be that way..." Daisuke mumbled softly. Eventually he tired of the bland features of the ground and cast his head up towards the others. He could see looks of betrayal among each of their faces and could hardly swallow the guilt he felt for causing them. Just then, his digivice beeped, and a hologram of Gennai appeared. All twelve members of the camp saluted at his figure.

"Good afternoon. I see you have found each other; good job, warriors." At this, puzzled looks were exchanged within the group, along with a curious glance from Daisuke. "This mission is a highly dangerous one. Daisuke, these are your new team members. I know that this is a shock to you and to them as well," he eyed the looks of the eleven chosen behind him, "but since we recently lost valuable members of Division III, I could think of no group of warriors more well-qualified to join the ranks. I have informed them of the mission and the consequences if you should fail. Work together as I know you have in the past, and you shall be fine. Good luck." Before any questions could be asked, Gennai's picture disappeared from view. Taichi looked back at Daisuke once more.

"Look, Motomiya. As reluctant as I am to work with you, there are bigger things we have to worry about. Don't get in our way, and we'll be fine. Let's do our job, go back to base, and figure it out from there. Deal?" Taichi held out his hand. Daisuke warily shook it. It was not exactly the way he wanted to go about things, but they were running short on time.

"Deal..."

Desperate times call for desperate measures.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: An Act of Infidelity

This is the second chapter that's been collecting dust in my computer. Funnily enough, this was probably one of the chapters I was looking forward to the most, and it has a shit ton of background info on what happened between Daisuke arriving in America and them departing for Dimension 033. So, here it is!

* * *

><p>Chapter Fourteen: <em>An Act of Infidelity<em>

"Is this it, then?" Taichi asked as they climbed into a mysterious cavern. He didn't need a response to know he was correct.

Infidelity's layer was just as they thought it would be: mysterious and downright creepy. Spiders crawled up the walls and bats surveyed them as they traveled through the dimly lit passages. The deeper they went, the colder it got; within ten minutes, Iori could see his breath clearer than the path ahead of them. Jou, always thinking ahead, took sticks out of his backpack and handed them out for each personto light on fire. Feeling a little more secure, the group continued on. Takeru glanced over to Hikari, who was shivering violently. He squeezed her hand and gave her a quick smile to comfort her. She hated the dark.

After what seemed like hours of traveling, they came upon a small clearing. Looking around, they discovered many different passages, almost like a maze. The group turned to Taichi, their leader, for direction, but he was just as confused as they were.

"Do you have anything of Carol's?" Mimi suddenly asked Daisuke.

"Um...not really. I do have something she gave me though," he answered, surprised. She said that was good enough, and so Daisuke detached a necklace she had given him a few years back and passed it to her. Mimi closed her eyes, cupping the item in her hands. She began to glow, and a few seconds later she opened her eyes and pointed to the northernmost passage. She had a gift for tracking people. After following the path for about a minute, they exited into a huge room. As the last of them entered, however, the passage behind them molded rock and closed itself. Worried, the group glanced around the room until a merciless laugh echoed about. In front of them was none other than Infidelity himself.

He didn't look as dangerous as the previous two villains; in fact, he resembled a small boy around Iori's age. He sported the dark eyes, and had an aura that made his seem rather powerful.

"Welcome, chosen. I have long awaited you, and so has you friend," he said in a shockingly deep voice. The timbre made the hair on the back of their necks stand up; it was definitely not a friendly tone. Before anyone could ask about the poor girl in captivity, he clapped his hands twice. The ceiling gave way to a descending girl, hung by her wrists and unconscious. Daisuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists; he couldn't afford to be careless. Infidelity, however, noticed his behavior and chuckled.

"What's the matter, Miracles?" he questioned mockingly. "If you wanted to save her that badly you wouldn't have let her get kidnapped in the first place, now would you?" He had hit a nerve. Daisuke pounced at him, aiming for a physical attack to his head. Infidelity merely laughed and, reaching out his hand, grabbed Daisuke's head and squeezed, keeping him from moving. He continued laughing at Daisuke's failed attempts to use Genesis attacks.

"That won't work in here, boy. Now, let's have some fun, shall we?" With his unoccupied hand he produced a black orb that grew to absorb the area. Silence deafened their ears; darkness blinded their eyes. A quick flash of light showed, and suddenly all twelve bodies were falling through the air at alarming speeds, only to suddenly halt at an area over viewing the Jacksonville Airport. Daisuke checked to see that they were floating in mid air, oblivious to the busy travelers around them. An echoed laughter reached their ears, reminding them who was responsible for this.

"Infidelity! What did you do?!" Takeru shouted at the sky.

**_Nothing at all. In fact, I believe that question should be directed towards your friend, Miracles._**

****Daisuke looked around, trying to put pieces of the puzzle together. He then heard familiar voices from below.

_"__Mom! It's so hot here!"_ a girl complained, trailing behind her fast paced mother.

_"__Oh shush, Jun. It's Florida, it's supposed to be hot,"_ was the reply.

Daisuke froze. Below him, he saw three figures pushing their way through the crowd: his mother, his sister, and himself, all about five years younger. His eyes widened in recognition. He gulped and turned towards the others.

"This is my past," he said just above a whisper.

******_Correct, Miracles. We're here to explore the deepest parts of your memories._**

"The deepest...? Everything...?" he asked fearfully.

**_Everything that I deem necessary, which is everything you deem horrifying._**

****Infidelity chuckled again, amused at his own dirty deeds. The world around them turned into a blur, and when it finished they were in front of a dirty shack.

_"__That'll be twenty five dollars, ma'am."_

A taxi door closed and Daisuke, Jun, and Kiyomi Motomiya stood in front of the building, their faces revealing shock.

**_You were deserted by the man you once called your father._**

The scenes passed by in fast motion until stopping about three months later.

_"__Mom, I'm home from school,"_ twelve year old Daisuke yelled as he walked through the creaking door, almost knocking it off its rusted hinges. He walked towards the back of the shack to find three people instead of two. He noticed a tall man in a black suit, known as Grant, conversing with his mom while Jun sat against the wall, eying them curiously. Daisuke sat next to his sister and their mom cleared her throat.

"Daisuke, Jun...I'm getting married."

**_You witnessed your mother marry a man she barely knew, yet did nothing to stop it._**

The scenes moved by again, stopping two months later.

_"__Stop it! I said, stop it!"_

_ "__Or what? I'll throw you back out into the streets!"_

Jun managed to break free from Grant's tight hold, running behind the couch to the opposite side of the room, hoping to escape. He was too fast for her; she screamed as she struggled, but help couldn't arrive. Locked inside a closet was a raging boy with unruly maroon hair, banging against the door and screaming obscenities. In present time, the observers expressed looks of horror while Daisuke attempted to turn away, only to be stopped by an invisible force he could only assume was Infidelity's doing.

******_You let the man that once portrayed hope of a better life hurt the two people that meant everything to you._**

The next six months flew around them, stopping for merely seconds to show short scenes. Jun bearing a black eye. Kiyomi collapsing in the kitchen, having no strength left to stand. Jun and Daisuke caring as well as they could for their mother. Daisuke punching the bathroom mirror out of frustration, leaving deep cuts embedded into his fist. Countless days of missed school, and dodging of friends. Suddenly, everything stopped on a deserted street. Daisuke and Jun came into view, Daisuke being almost thirteen and Jun sixteen. Both were overloaded with grocery bags, wobbling down the sidewalk. They reached the crosswalk and halted, waiting for the signal.

_"__I freaking hate carrying all these groceries. It's such a pain in the ass," _Jun grumbled, taping her foot impatiently. _"Oh, for God's sake, there's no one here!"_

_"__Let's just go then,"_ Daisuke said simply and started across the street, ignoring his sister's complaints. She grudgingly followed him after double-checking again. Daisuke didn't even notice dropping a can; he was too focused on getting to the other side. Annoyed, Jun yelled at him for dropping the green beans and bent down to pick them up. Daisuke turned around and froze.

A truck.

_ "__JUN!"_

Screeching breaks. Fallen groceries. Blood.

The present Daisuke squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to relive something that still gave him nightmares.

******_You pushed your sister into crossing on a red light, and then stood by as she lost her young life._**

****Hikari broke down and cried at witnessing the crash, as did Mimi. The others looked on with gaping mouths and widened eyes. Not soon enough, the scene changed once again. The new image revealed thirteen year old Daisuke in a hooded jacket, walking slowly in a heavy pour.

_"__Dai! Hold on a second!"_

He wearily turned around and rolled his eyes at the sight of Carol running towards him.

_"__What are you doing,"_ he demanded more than asked.

_ "__I just wanted to talk."_

_ "__There's nothing to talk about."_

_ "__Dai, you've hardly been in school these past few months. You can't tell me there's nothing wrong."_

_ "__That's exactly what I'm telling you."_

_"__I thought we were supposed to be friends,"_ she whispered, casting her eyes downward. _"Friends help another..."_ Daisuke looked at her with a straight face for a few seconds.

_"__I don't need help,"_ he stated as he began to turn around. Carol grabbed hold of his arm to stop him. He didn't even look at her.

_"__Well...if you need me, I'll be there for you,"_ she said quietly. He yanked his arm from her grip and continued along, leaving a soaked Carol alone on the sidewalk.

**_You hurt the ones who only wished to help you._**

The scene continued slightly faster, witnessing Daisuke aimlessly wandering around an empty park. After whatever light that had graced the overcast day had disappeared, he finally headed towards his house, dragging his feet. From the street, it looked like a normal middle class home. He snickered at the irony and walked up the pathway to the front door. He reached for the doorknob as a bloodcurdling scream alerted him. He bolted through the door and to the living room to find his mother on the ground and Grant kneeling over her with bloodshot eyes.

_"__Get the hell away from my mother!" _he threatened. Obviously drunk, Grant stumbled towards him, giggling about nothing. He grabbed his shoulder and closed in on his face, suffocating him with the smell of liquor. Daisuke pushed him off and ran towards his mother, not noticing Grant stumble out of the house and away from the scene of the crime.

_ "__Mom...?" _he squeaked, a worried look on his face as he bent over his mother, his eyes focused on the stab wound left in her chest.

_ "__Daisuke...honey..."_ she coughed out blood. _"I'm so sorry, son..." _she whispered, tears falling from her eyes.

_ "__There's nothing for you to be sorry about...I'll just call the ambulance, the doctors will heal you..."_

_ "__No, sweetie...it's too late for me. This has been long coming..."_

_ "__I'm not just going to give up on you!"_

Kiyomi chuckled lightly.

_"__Can you make me a promise, Daisuke?"_ she asked. He nodded feverishly, and she took a few more seconds to cough and then continued. _"You have something special...a spark..."_

_ "__A spark?"_ he asked quietly.

_ "__Yes...promise me that you won't let anyone bring you down..." _she coughed a bit more.

_ "__I...I promise, mom..." _he chocked out, his eyes watering. Kiyomi smiled softly and closed her eyes. The hand that Daisuke held went limp, and her breathing stopped. Daisuke stared for what seemed like hours, no emotion apparent on his face. He called the ambulance, and after a while of questioning and confusion, Daisuke found himself sitting alone by the spot where his mother had been. He looked at the clock, noticing it was well past midnight. The sound of the rain on the rooftop echoed through the silent house.

******_You could have saved your mother, had you just arrived ten minutes sooner._**

Present Daisuke clenched his fists as a wave of emotion electrified his body. He suddenly realized the silent tears that had been falling for the past ten minutes. Around him, his old friends wept and comforted each other. Ken watched his former best friend with a look of compassion on his face; he knew how hard it was to lose one family member, but two seemed unbearable. The memory progressed as Daisuke suddenly rose and exited the building. He walked in a zombie-like state until he reached a two story family home. The rain succeeded in drenching his clothes, and his usually buoyant hair flailed like a mop on his head. He stared at the top right window for a few moments before searching for a small object. He found a pile of small stones and proceeded to relentlessly chuck them at said window. A light came on and a young girl poked her head outside, squinting through the darkness to find the noise maker.

_"__Dai!" _she whispered frantically. _"What on earth are you doing out there?" _A few seconds passed in silence as she looked towards the boy that had blown her off merely hours before. She finally signaled to him to meet her at the front steps and quickly sneaked her way out the front door.

_"__It's one o'clock in the morning, Dai,"_ she said upon closing the door._ "My mom would kill me if she found out you were here." _She suddenly froze upon looking at her friend. He seemed absorbed in gazing out into the dark street with a pensive look on his face. Finally, he turned to her, his face drooping wet.

_"__I need help."_

Without another word, Carol reached inside to grab her coat off the entrance hanger and wrapped it around Daisuke. She silently led him upstairs and into her room only to leave and return again with a towel, some of Brian's spare clothes, and two mugs of hot chocolate. She pushed him into the bathroom next door so he could change, and after they were both settled and dry, she watched him, waiting for him to begin. The scene flew forward. The rain stopped and the sun rose and Daisuke and Carol finally fell asleep with tear-stained faces.

******_You poured your worries and griefs onto a pure heart, too selfish to bare all the pain by yourself. _**

The area around Daisuke blacked out, leaving him alone. He hardly noticed, too absorbed in his own thoughts.

"You're right..." he whispered. "I've been nothing but a burden...all I've done is let others down..." He fell to his knees and slammed his fist on the ground. "I'm just good for nothing!" he cried as he sobbed on the ground.

"Motomiya, don't listen to him."

Daisuke paused and looked around. He noticed a faint image of Ken in front of him. "Ken...?"

"You're not useless. You're far from useless. You've helped me and the others out so many times it's hard to count," he continued, his image growing stronger.

"But...my mom...Jun..."

"You did the best you could. Sometimes life doesn't work out the way you want it to, but you can't go around beating yourself up about it. Trust me, I know."

"It's just...so hard..."

"I didn't say it was going to be easy. You have to learn to let go, Daisuke. You have friends who are here for you, and who rely on you just as much as you rely on them. You've never let anyone down before. I see no reason for you to start now." Ken smiled as his image became full. He reached out a hand towards the fallen comrade. Daisuke whipped his eyes, one sentence running through his head.

_"__Promise me that you won't let anyone bring you down..."_

With new determination, he smiled fiercely, a fire kindling in his soul.

"That's right. I promised my mom and I promised myself. I won't let anyone down!" He grabbed Ken's outstretched hand and a light blinded them. They found themselves, along with the other chosen, back in the same room they had disappeared in. Infidelity stood in front of them, hunched over and panting.

"Dammit," he cursed, watching Daisuke stand tall in front of him.

"You've brought back many things that I've been trying to ignore," he said. Infidelity spat at his face. Daisuke merely whipped it off and smiled. "Thank you."

Shock showed on Infidelity's face. Daisuke took the small window of opportunity to reach for his digivice and shine its light on him. Infidelity screamed loudly as he burst, letting many particles of data float themselves back to the Digital World. The chosen behind him celebrated the victory as Daisuke scanned the room. He found Carol and ran over to her, checking her pulse. He sighed in relief as he found her very much alive. He then lifted her and carried her piggyback style as him and the others left the now empty cave and escaped towards fresh air and sunlight.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: A Spark Ignited

Chapter Fifteen: _A Spark Ignited_

Hikari watched the embers of the fire they had built float freely into the air, and she couldn't help but feel jealous of them. She would give anything to break out of the tension surrounding her. To her right, Takeru mindlessly ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes glazed over as he stared blankly into the fire. Her brother and Yamato sat in silence together opposite them watching the bright stars above them. It was then that she realized that tonight was a new moon, and despite the warmth surrounding her, she shivered.

Sora, Mimi, and Miyako were sitting furthest from the group, and they looked to be in deep conversation. It didn't take too much wondering for Hikari to know the topic. Iori, Jou, and Koushiro were messing with some equipment they had gotten for this trip, and everyone else was just scattered around the camp, finding other ways to distract themselves from the day's events. Hikari turned her head and glanced over at Daisuke, who was sitting next to that girl. He looked worried and exhausted, and thanks to the light from the fire, she could finally see how much he had aged.

Bags were under his eyes, and many scars plagued his forearms. His short hair was pretty much the only unrecognizable part of him - his eyes were the same soft brown color, and apart from his jaw being more well defined, his face looked practically the same as it had years ago. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ken head towards his former best friend, and she strained her ears to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Hey."

"Oh…hi…" Daisuke looked rather startled.

The uncomfortableness of the situation made her inwardly groan.

"So, uh…is she going to be alright?"

"I believe so. She mostly just needs rest."

"Ah, I see. That's good then."

The crickets definitely seemed louder all of the sudden. Ken was struggling to find the right words.

"Listen, Daisuke-"

"Thank you." Ken looked at Daisuke quizzically.

"For what?"

"You saved me, Ken." Daisuke finally looked up at him and smiled weakly. He looked exhausted.

"I mean, I just did what I thought was right. I said nothing but the truth. Besides, you helped me back when I was struggling with MY past. It's only fair that I return the favor." Ken smiled brightly at him. They both seemed visibly more relaxed than before.

"Look…I'm sorr-"

"Hikari?"

She snapped up and looked around. Apparently Taichi had been trying to get her attention for a while now. She glanced to see Ken and Daisuke deep in conversation. She wished she could listen more. Instead, she focused her attention on her brother.

"What's the matter?"

"I was asking you how you were feeling. You know, after today and all…" That was all he needed to say for her to know what he was talking about. She frowned and brought her knees to her chest.

"I mean…I'm okay. I'm worried about Daisuke, but I just have so many questions. Why did he leave? Why didn't he say anything? It just doesn't make much sense to me."

"Me neither. Which is why we're going to ask once and for all what the full story is."

As if on queue, Ken and Daisuke approached the fire, Daisuke choosing to sit in the spot with the best possible view of the girl they had rescued and Ken sitting beside him, Miyako soon joining. One by one, the rest of the original chosen sat around the fire and looked towards Daisuke.

"Daisuke," it looked as if Taichi was going to be the brave soul to speak. "We, uh…we obviously saw a lot of things today. I was talking with some of the others," he wearily looked around the circle, "and we would like to apologize for jumping to conclusions. It was wrong, we should have known you wouldn't just…leave us for no good reason." He paused to gather his thoughts. Hikari had never seen him look this nervous. "At the same time…we were also wondering if it would be alright if you could, you know…tell us what happened? I mean, we saw the big picture, but uh….I guess we're confused." The silence was deafening as the entire group stared at Daisuke. Eventually, he lifted his gaze from the ground to the sky. He closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh.

"I guess I'll start from the beginning.

"I didn't mean to just…leave. I was going to say something, I just didn't know how…and everything was moving so fast, and everyone was busy doing other things - I guess I just felt like a burden. My mom was sick. She had been sick for a very long time, but the doctors in Japan ran out of ways to help her. They recommended she go to an American hospital, and just like that, within a week, we moved. My dad had left two days prior to us to move things into a house we had found and to settle. We hadn't heard from him, but we figured he was just busy, so we didn't think much of it. It wasn't until we arrived -" Daisuke, who looked like he was recalling feelings he would rather forget, paused for a second. "It wasn't until we arrived that we realized he was gone."

"Gone?" Koushiro inquired. Mimi hit him in the leg disapprovingly, though Koushiro didn't understand his absence of tact in his question. Daisuke seemed unfazed.

"Yeah. To this day….I still just don't know what happened. He was just gone. We never heard from him nor did we hear anything about him…"

And so the night went on, with Daisuke telling his story to his old friends. He told them about events he wished he could forget, and events he would never want to forget. His mom getting cancer, them not being able to earn money for food or housing. He told them about how the struggles they had been going through were somewhat bearable thanks to his new found friends - but also that with every day, his mother grew weaker. Then suddenly, it seemed as if all their prayers had been answered - his mom had found a handsome man to move in with. Hikari just listened, feeling a knot in her chest. This all just seemed so overwhelming. So much had happened in her old friend's life while they were sitting around angry at him for disappearing.

Daisuke explained how his mother never loved that man - he just offered security for her and her children, and even promised he would share his medical insurance with her in order to get her in to see a specialist. These were all lies. For the next few years, he grew increasingly abusive. At first, it was just emotionally, but it soon progressed to become physical. Daisuke tried his damned hardest to protect Jun and his mom, but there was only so much he could do. His fists clenched tighter and tighter as he told his story, and Ken put a reassuring hand on his back. It wasn't until he got to the story of how Jun died - of how he thought it was all his fault - that Hikari lost it. Slow tears started falling as she silently cried. The look on Daisuke's face as he recalled the events of that day broke her heart. She had never seen that much hurt in anyone's expression, and wished she never had had to.

Daisuke explained how the man killed his mother, who was on the verge of death due to her sickness. They never caught him, as far as Daisuke knew. He had then moved in with the girl's family - her name was Carol. It sounded like they were really close friends. As he wrapped up his story, the fire slowly died. Silence plagued the camp. She couldn't handle it.

"I'm so sorry, Daisuke," Hikari whispered, more tears rolling down her cheek. She looked at him in the eyes and instantly saw how much he had truly grown. Sure, physically, normal signs of aging were apparent, but the look in his eyes said that he had seen too much for someone so young. He had been through Hell and back, and still managed to keep his inner fire burning strong. She got up and ran to wrap his arms around him, and she was quickly followed by all of the other chose. They sat there, in one giant huddle, for a while. Daisuke smiled gently as the others released their hold and started retiring for the night. The camp felt peaceful.

/~|~\

The following morning they packed up their belongings and began to head towards headquarters. Daisuke had taken upon the task of carrying a still unconscious Carol on his back, and stubbornly refused any offer from anyone else to carry her. He wasn't going to let her out of her sight again.

They arrived late in the afternoon just prior to the sunset. While the newly graduated chosen were being greeted and shown to their room, Daisuke made a bee line for the infirmary in order to get Carol looked at. Upon his arrival, May, Brian, and Alice practically tackled him, all looking well rested and completely healed. Eventually they somehow managed to get Daisuke to agree to go rest in his room while they looked after Carol, and he made a zombie-like path towards their dorm. He entered his key code into the main door and sluggishly dragged his feel to his bunk. He climbed the ladder and curled up with his blanket over him, hardly noticing the eleven other chosen taking up more beds than were originally in the room.

Nightmares based on his past plagued him all night.


End file.
